Volleyball Splits Tri-Match With District of Columbia and Assumption
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 22, 2011) – On Saturday afternoon the Mercy College volleyball team hosted a tri-match with conference foe the University of the District of Columbia and Assumption College. Although the Mavericks suffered a disappointing loss to the Firebirds early in the day, they came back out two hours later to take a thrilling four-set match against the Greyhounds, by whom they had been swept just last week.
Mercy finished the day with a 8-19 overall record (2-6 in the ECC). UDC left with a 10-18 overall mark (2-8 in the ECC) while Assumption finished at 7-19 with a victory over the Firebirds.
Mercy 2, UDC 3
The Mavericks gave the first set to the Firebirds in the opening match, posting a -.079 hitting percentage, but recovered to take the next two for the 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set. Another bunch of attacking errors allowed UDC to even the match, and the Firebirds rode a .357 hitting percentage to victory in the fifth set.
The Firebirds' blocking strength (20 block assists) hampered Mercy's attack throughout the match, resulting in a massive 39 attack errors by the Mavericks, who managed only 2.0 total blocks.
Senior middle hitter Grace DiMichelis (Aurora, Colo.) and junior middle hitter Vanessa Garley (Rio Rancho, N.M.) led the Firebirds with 13 and 11 kills, respectively, while freshman setter Kamene Rose (Chula Vista, Calif.) assisted on 34. Garley added 3.5 total blocks and junior libero Grace Perilli (Thompson Station, Tenn.) tied for the match lead with 22 digs.
The Mavericks' double-threat outside hitters, freshman Brenna White (Gardnerville, Nev.) and sophomore Nicolette Gebhardt (Middletown, N.Y.) smashed a whopping 25 and 22 kills, respectively, with Gebhardt's coming on an impressive .333 hitting percentage. Freshmen setters McKenna Ronan (Chandler, Ariz.) and Michala Askew (Ringgold, Ga.) combined for 46 assists as the Mavericks assisted on each of their 55 kills. Freshman libero Ericka Kane (Glendale, Ariz.) tied for the match lead with 22 digs while White added 10 to post a double-double.
Mercy 3, Assumption 1
Following the Greyhounds' four-set victory over the Firebirds, Mercy stepped back onto the court looking to end the day on a high note, with their first win in two weeks. The Mavericks overcame another significant blocking deficit (9.0 to 2.0) to break their eight-match losing streak in a hotly contested four-set victory.
After surrendering the first four points in the opening set, the Mavericks ripped off six straight points behind three consecutive service aces by junior middle hitter Kassy Phillips (Marcellus, N.Y.). Both teams traded the lead until freshman defensive specialist Christina Bjerstedt (Lebanon, Ohio) served another six points, including two aces, to take a 18-15 lead. The Mavericks rode the advantage to take the first set thanks to a clutch kill by Gebhardt at 23-21 to stop a rally and locked up the second with an incredible 10-1 run to end the set for the 2-0 lead.
Assumption dominated the third set to cut the lead in half and took the lead in the fourth set, but Mercy responded just in time, tying the game at 23-23 and holding set point, but Assumption recovered to reverse the score to 25-24. The Mavericks pulled out the 27-25 win, however, thanks in part to five Greyhound attack errors in the final seven points, to take the match in four sets.
White and Gebhardt totaled 24 and 13 kills, respectively, as Ronan again made 25 assists and White added 12 digs for her second double-double of the day and her 12th this season. Kane led the match with 13 digs and Phillips finished with six service aces.
No Greyhound player reached double digits in either kills or digs, as sophomore outside hitter Mary Johnston (Pearland, Texas) and sophomore setter Kristin Flaketval (Mahwah, N.J.) led the squad in kills and digs, respectively, each with nine. Flaketval managed to assists on 22 kills to fall just short of the double-double, while freshman outside hitter Bizzie Gonring (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) handed Phillips and several other Mavericks eight of their 14 aces on return errors.
White's pair of 20-plus kill matches brings her total for the year to an ECC-leading 476 with a 4.67 kills-per-set average, which should rank her as the top freshman in Division II and in the Top 5 overall when rankings are updated early next week. She also leads the Mavericks with 252 digs.
Head Coach Alan Clements and the Mavericks continue their ECC slate Tuesday at the University of Bridgeport (), against whom they took their first set in conference play in three years in late September. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
