Florida A&M

MACON, Ga. – Mercer used 13 kills from Lara Matta on Tuesday evening to help the homestanding Bears to a 3-0 sweep of Florida A&M in nonconference midweek volleyball inside Hawkins Arena in Macon, Georgia. The Bears defeated the Rattlers on scores of 25-12, 25-21, 25-23.
 
Lara Matta led all players with 13 kills and finished with a team-high nine digs.
 
Brooklyn Palmer added nine kills and a game-high four blocks (three assisted), hitting at a .400 clip for Mercer (5-4). Meanwhile, Avery Wilks chipped in nine kills of her own.
 
For Florida A&M (4-6), Sydney Whitfield contributed a team-high six kills for the Orange and Green, followed by Tamia Coleman and LaDonna Trantham – this week's SWAC Offensive Player of the Week – with five kills each.
 
Mercer setter Sammi Bergjans orchestrated the Bears offense with 37 assists.
 
Libero Aubri Martin paced the defense with seven digs and hit .900 on serve receive.
 
Rattlers libero Sydney Humes added seven digs to lead FAMU in that category.
 
As a team, Mercer out-hit FAMU .308 to .060 for the match, respectfully, and held a wide edge in kills, 44 to 25.
 
Setter Makenzie Taylor tallied 13 assists to run the offense.
 
Mercer built a 20-9 lead in the first set on the strength of Bergjans' setting and never trailed in the frame, closing it out 25-12. The Rattlers battled harder in set two, trading points down the stretch before Mercer pulled away late for a 25-21 win.
 
The third set was the tightest of the night, tied 15 times and featuring eight lead changes, before the Bears closed it out 25-23 to complete the sweep.
 
The Rattlers are back in action on Friday, Sept. 18, as they travel to New Orleans, Louisiana, competing in the Pelican Invitational hosted by LSU New Orleans. The Rattlers first face off against Cal State Fullerton at 11 a.m. EST.
 
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