Mercer, a sophomore from Matthews, North Carolina, joined The University of Alabama in the spring of 2013. The early-enrollee debuted her freshman season playing in every game and starting in 17. This season, she has had a starting role in every game.
“Being a starter is a big accomplishment,” Mercer said. “Knowing that everyone on the sidelines wants to be playing, it’s motivation. You are out there knowing that people on the sidelines want to be in your position, and it makes you work harder and want to be a better player. Being a starter puts you into the leadership position where people look up to you, so even if I’m having an off day I know verbally I have to be there, I have to be present and pushing everyone else on the field as well.”
Since her freshman season, Mercer has been one of the players to keep an eye on. The defender has speed on her side, but she’s also versatile on the field, making her an optimal player. Coach Todd Bramble said her attacking mentality has been beneficial to the team.
“The biggest area of growth is we converted her from being an out-and-out attacking player, where she used to be in high school and in club, to being a defender for our team,” Bramble said. “There’s some intention with that because we are a team that likes to handle the ball, have our backs handle the ball. Especially from those outside back positions, we want players who can get forward and contribute to our team in an attacking role. Having a converted forward play that position and be as good as she as a defender – as good as she is in the air, as aggressive as she is, as fit as she is – and then already with the skill set she came in with, she was a perfect candidate to play that spot for us.”
The evolution of her playing style is evident in the way the sophomore plays. Mercer said she’s worked on being a better player.
“I think I’ve matured mentally in the fact that instead of flying into tackles, I’m still aggressive but we’ve really been working on not giving away free kicks in our half,” she said.
Mercer said she, as well as the team, hopes to make it to the conference championships in November. The Crimson Tide begins conference play Friday against No. 8 Florida.
