The Mercer Bears volleyball team completed a two-match sweep of the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles with a 3–1 victory on Oct. 10. Mercer won 25–21, 23–25, 25–23 and 25–13 at Hawkins Arena in Macon during its Alumni Game. The result moved the Bears to 11–8 overall and 5–2 in the Southern Conference, while Tennessee Tech fell to 9–10 and 5–2.
Lara Matta led Mercer with 16 kills, and Taylor Timko added 10. Bella Pons recorded a career-high seven blocks to strengthen the Bears’ defense at the net. The balance between attacking production and blocking gave Mercer several ways to score during a match that was level after two sets.
Aubri Martin supplied 24 digs, six assists and three service aces. Sammi Bergjans finished with 34 assists as the Bears worked to keep their attack organized. The back-row effort mattered because Mercer needed to handle Tennessee Tech’s swings before creating opportunities of its own.
Mercer won despite Tennessee Tech holding a 53–50 edge in kills. The Bears hit .212 compared with the Golden Eagles’ .158 and had an 8–3 advantage in both service aces and team blocks. Those differences show how serving pressure, error control and net defense can outweigh a small deficit in raw kill totals.
The third set was a close 25–23 Mercer victory before the Bears separated decisively in the fourth. Mercer built a 14–5 lead in the final set and finished it 25–13. Saturday’s win followed a 3–0 victory on Oct. 9, giving the Bears six of the seven sets played during the weekend series.
Mercer next travels to face the Furman Paladins in Greenville, South Carolina. The official schedule lists matches on Friday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. ET and Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. ET. The road series will test whether the Bears can reproduce the serving and defensive advantages that helped them finish their home weekend.
GSB Take
Mercer’s weekend success came from more than one standout attacker. The Bears used blocking, serving and back-row work to support their offense and finish a tight match strongly. Reproducing that balance away from Hawkins Arena would make these two conference wins a stronger foundation for the rest of the schedule.