CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston won its first match of the season against Mercer in four sets (25-16, 20-25, 25-21, 25-16) Saturday evening in TD Arena.
 
CofC capped off the victory with 13 kills and a .367 hitting percentage in the final set. In the third set, sophomore Cole Crews ignited the Cougars after starting the frame down 5-0.
 
CRITICAL POINTS AGAINST MERCER:

• Freshman Julia Gnida helped spark the offense in the third set, recording six of her eight kills in the frame.
• Fellow first years Caroline Noonan (11 kills, 4 digs) and Makena Parthen (4 kills, 2 blocks) aided in the win.
• Graduate student Izzy Marinelli and sophomore Emma Duffield collected 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
• Defensively, Crews grabbed 16 digs while freshman Jumana Martin had 18 digs for the Cougars.

 
OF NOTE:

• Charleston improves to 15-3 all-time versus Mercer.
• Noonan was named to the CofC Classic All-Tournament Team. 
• Head coach Jason Kepner secured his 370th career win at The College.

 
UP NEXT:
Charleston hits the road to Asheville, N.C., to play in the Blue Ridge Classic Sept. 5-6 at the Harrah's Cherokee Center. The Cougars face Bradley at 11 a.m. Sept. 5 to kick off the weekend.
 
For complete coverage of Charleston volleyball, follow us on Facebook (/cofcvolleyball), X (@CofCVolleyball) and Instagram (@cofcvolleyball).