Mercier named All-Southland honorable mention as Wildcats prep for final weekend

2013 All-Southland Conference Volleyball Teams and Individual Award Winners

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ABILENE - Lexi Mercier - recognized as the Southland Conference's leading blocker this season with 1.48 blocks per set - Wednesday received a spot on the league's honorable mention list, which was announced in conjunction with the start of this weekend's volleyball tournament at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

A freshman middle blocker from Centennial, Colo., Mercier was the Wildcats' lone postseason honoree and one of six honorable mention players named along with Brianna Brink (OH, A&M-Corpus Christi), Madeline Gaffney (MB, Houston Baptist), Angelique Vidaurri (RS, UIW), Fulani Petties (MB, Central Arkansas) and Shelbee Berringer (L, Central Arkansas).

With two games coming up this weekend at Grand Canyon University, Mercier currently has 121 total blocks, 24 of which were solo efforts. She needs 15 blocks to tie Shawna Hines for 10th place on the school's season record list.

Mercier twice recorded 10-or-more blocks in a single match this season and both performances came during the same weekend in early October. She recorded a career high 12 block assists in a five-set loss at Houston Baptist on Oct. 3 and then had two solos to go along with 10 assists two days later at Corpus Christi.

Mercier also recorded nine block assists in her collegiate debut at UT-Arlington, and during a home game vs. Sam Houston State recorded the team's highest attack percentage of .435 (12-2-23).

Offensively, Mercier is averaging 1.83 kills per set and is hitting .198. Her career high 14 kills came during a five-set defeat at Southeastern Louisiana on Oct. 24.

With nearly half the Southland Conference teams heading to their tournament this weekend, ACU volleyball instead will be heading west to Phoenix with Incarnate Word since neither school is eligible for the postseason during their D-I transition period. While there, the Wildcats will first take on the Antelopes Friday at 7 p.m. (local time) before battling the Cardinals for the third time this season.

GCU, which will offer live stats and video for its match against the Wildcats, was a NAIA school until the early 1990s when it transferred to NCAA Division II. The Antelopes joined the Western Athletic Conference in the summer of 2013, and their volleyball team has posted an overall record of 10-18 (4-11 vs. the WAC).

The Cardinals, meanwhile, are 12-12 and 7-7 vs. the Southland. Vidaurri leads her team with 2.97 kills per set and 301 points. She also is hitting .223 and has blocked 64 shots.

UIW has won its previous two meetings this season against the Wildcats by matching 3-0 scores.

As for the Wildcats, they continue to be led on offense by Jennifer Loerch (3.21 kills per set) and setter Sarah Siemens (8.30 assists), and defensively by Mercier and libero Madison Hoover (4.65 digs).