Sand volleyball begins second competitive season with 0-7 start

In just their second season as a competitive team, the Mercer sand volleyball team is off to a rough start. Losing in their first seven contests, the team looks to regroup and claim that all-important first win.
Despite the dismal record, the team has had some quality performances from several members of the sand squad.
Duos have posted victories in each of the team’s matches except for one.
Against Tulane on March 9, Mercer’s No. 2 pairing of senior Jenn Katona and freshman Molly Locke picked up Mercer’s only match victory with a 2-1 (21-14, 21-23, 15-12) triumph over Tulane’s No. 2 pairing.
In a 3-2 loss against Georgia State on March 12, Mercer got wins in the first two matches as senior Codi Schepp and junior Zoe Becton downed GSU’s Kaylee Kavanaugh and Katelyn Rawls in the No. 4 flight and junior Emily Rochefort and sophomore Caroline Carlton topped GSU’s Kaitlynn Hufstettler and Nikki Senopoulos in the No. 5 flight.  Both matches went Mercer’s way by straight-set victories.
In a 3-2 loss at home against UAB, at the No. 4 position sophomore Caroline Carlton and junior Emily Rochefort were able to come back from a first set loss to win the match 2-1. After back and forth play in the first set, Carlton and Rochefort were unable to come on top, losing 18-21. The second set saw more back and forth play but this time the Bears were on the winning end, forcing the match into a third set. Once again the set was tightly contested, but Carlton and Rochefort were able to string together several points to win the set 15-11.
 The No. 3 position saw Mercer pick up its second win of the day. Seniors Jamie Duffy and Madison Petsos took their match in two sets 21-19, 21-19.
After their first home match of the season, the sand volleyball team traveled to Charleston, S.C. for the College of Charleston Invite. There the team would take on the College of Charleston, Georgia State and UAB.
On day one, Mercer fell to the College of Charleston and UAB by a score of 4-1. Carlton and Rochefort earned Mercer’s point with a 2-0 (22-20, 21-19) win against the Cougars while the Bears’ No. 2 pairing of Codi Schepp and Zoe Becton took a 3-2 (18-21, 21-18, 15-10) win against the Blazers.
On the second day of play at the College of Charleston Invite, Mercer’s No. 4 duo of sophomore Caroline Carlton and junior Emily Rochefort topped Georgia State’s Alexis Townsend and Molly Smestad 2-0 (21-16 and 21-14) to claim the team’s first point of the day.  Later, the Bears’ No. 3 pairing of Jamie Duffy and Madison Petsos claimed a 3-2 (14-21, 21-14, 16-14) win over Katelyn Rawls and Milani Pickering.