The William & Mary volleyball team wrapped up play at the Belmont Bruiser Showcase on Saturday afternoon, winning the second set before ultimately falling to Mercer, 3-1. The Tribe moved to 1-5 after the match, while the Bears improved to 3-3 overall.
"We are learning a lot about ourselves with each match we play," said head coach
Melissa Ferris, "and Mercer was no different. We need to continue to work on competing from the first point to the last, and not allow the opponent to dictate the pace of the game. I'm proud of this team for not giving up, and we look forward to playing at home next weekend in front of our fans!"
Junior
Sydney Biniak (Elkridge, Md.) finished the weekend with her best outing, and led W&M with 14 kills to go with four digs an a block. Freshman
Casey Foote (Prospect, Ky.) was right behind her with 13 kills and seven digs, and for her efforts over the weekend, Foote was also named to the all-tournament team. In the Tribe's three matches, the rookie averaged 2.5 kills and 2.6 digs per set.
Also of note, sophomore
Heather Pippus (Lake Oswego, Ore.) had eight kills and seven digs, and classmate
Katie Primatic (Pittstown, N.J.) hit .308 with six kills and a pair of blocks. Freshman
Alex Stein (East Setauket, N.Y.) added five kills, 10 digs, a block and an ace to the team totals, and
Paige Humphrey (Oak Hill, Va.) tied for the team lead with two more blocks. Away from the net, senior
Gabrielle Pe (Virginia Beach, Va.) had a team-best 22 digs, and freshman
Autumn Brenner (McLean, Va.) had 30 assists, nine digs, two kills, and two digs. Sophomore
Katie Kemp (Brentwood, Tenn.) also played at setter in front of her hometown fans, and made 15 assists and five digs in just over a set and a half of action.
After two weeks away, William & Mary returns home for the first time next weekend, hosting the Colonial Classic on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9-10. The Tribe welcomes Western Carolina, Coppin State, and Charlotte to Kaplan Arena, taking on the 49ers Friday night to kick things off at 7 p.m.
