STATESBORO, Ga. – Ktyal Price powered Bethune-Cookman Volleyball with eight kills on Saturday afternoon in a 3-0 setback to Mercer on the final day of the GATA Challenge inside Hanner Fieldhouse on the campus of Georgia Southern. The Bears took the match on set scores of 25-23, 25-21, 25-20.
 
A 6-foot-2 middle blocker from Robbinsdale, Minnesota, Ktyal Price registered four kills for the Wildcats in the opening set.
 
In the opening frame, Bethune-Cookman (0-11) went ahead 19-18 behind a kill from redshirt senior opposite hitter Malina Spencer. After a Mercer (4-7) kill and service ace from Kylee Quigley, the Bears stepped back in front at 20-19. BCU answered with a 3-0 run off the heels of a Price kill, as well as a pair of attack errors charged to the Bears, allowing the Wildcats a 22-20 advantage.
 
However, down the stretch, Aliyah Waldon and Steffes shouldered the scoring to help the Bears grab the 25-23 come-from-behind set victory. Bethune-Cookman hit at a .345 clip in the opener with 13 kills coming off 29 swings.
 
In the second set, redshirt junior transfer Elizabeth Phillips collected four kills and three digs for the Maroon and Gold.
 
The Cats led 13-12 midway through the frame after a ballhandling error was charged to the Bears' Jessica Dunn. BCU was limited to just a .100 hitting percentage in the second, while the Cats defense held the Bears to just a .182 clip in attack on 14 kills and six errors through 44 attempts.
 
The Bears rode Quigley's four kills in the set in what would become a late 4-1 run to help them move towards a 25-21 set win.
 
Despite BCU hitting .286 in the final set, Mercer tallied a .324 hitting percentage of its own as Quigley had seven kills and Steffes provided six to fuel the Bears to a 25-20 win in the third frame.
 
Mercer was led offensively by Quigley with a match-high 14 kills, followed closely by Steffes (12). Kiera McCarles set up the offensive attack with a match-high 16 assists. Abbey Havrilla had 14 digs in a defensive effort.
 
Bethune-Cookman was led by Price with her eight kills and four blocks (three solo). Mia Delahoussaye added seven kills and hit .238 for the match. Madison Coates and Alisha Callender each tallied 15 assists within a two-setter system employed by Head Coach Brittany Williams. And it was Coates completing her double-double – the first of the season for the redshirt senior from Oviedo, Florida, topping the Cats with 11 digs.
 
The Wildcats open Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play next weekend with Alabama A&M visiting Moore Gymnasium on Friday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m. ET.
 
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