Mercer’s women's volleyball team is approaching the Southern Conference playoffs, coming up in mid-November. The team stands at a 9-9 overall record, going 5-2 against other SoCon opponents.
The two SoCon losses came against Wofford where the Bears lost 3-0 and against the The Citadel where the team lost 3-2. The Citadel is the toughest opponent in the SoCon right now with an unblemished record of 18-0 and 6-0 in conference play.
With Mercer's new coaching staff and only five returning players, it appeared as though this season would be a rebuilding period for the team. However, the Bears have found more success this year than in the 2022 season.
Graduate student Kylee Quigley leads the Bears with 198 kills as an outside hitter and also leads the team with 29 service aces. Quigley played at Jacksonville State University during her time as an undergrad, and in her final season with the Gamecocks she played in all 30 matches and tallied 81 kills, 194 digs and 46 aces overall.
Abbey Havrilla ‘26 has taken over the Bear's back row this season as the starting libero and leads the team with 268 digs and follows Quigley with 24 aces. Havrilla is one of only five returning players from the 2022 season, in which she played in all 29 matches. Last season she tallied 259 digs, a stat which she is close to surpassing now.
Kiera McCarles ‘26 is another returner and leads the team wtih 341 assists. McCarles played in all 29 matches last season and started in 27 of them as the setter for the Bears.
The team is set to play Chattanooga at home on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. The Mocs are 15-6 on the season with a 3-3 SoCon record after losing to The Citadel, Wofford and Western Carolina.
