White and Gebhardt Post Double-Doubles in Volleyball Home Opener
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Sept. 11, 2012) – Sophomore outside hitter Brenna White (Gardnerville, Nev.) and junior outside hitter Nicolette Gebhardt (Middletown, N.Y.) each posted double-doubles in a four-set thriller as the Mercy College volleyball team played its home opener in front of over 100 fans on Tuesday night.
Mercy dropped to 0-4 with the defeat while Post improved to 2-5 on the season.
Both teams put on a defensive clinic over numerous lengthy rallies as they combined for an incredible 118 digs against a whopping 265 attacks. Both were also efficient on offense, posting fewer than half as many errors as kills.
Post edged out Mercy in the first set, building up a three-point lead at 8-5 and eventually stretching it to 20-14 until the Mavericks put some pressure back on before bowing out, 25-21.
Post recovered its momentum in the second set, going up 7-2 early. Mercy went on a 9-2 run to tie things up at 11-11, however, and hung with the Eagles point-for-point to the very end, when Post rattles off three of the final four to win the set, 25-21, and go up 2-0 in the match.
The Mavericks' offense really clicked in the third set, as sophomore setter McKenna Ronan (Chandler, Ariz.) made her season debut after missing the first three matches with an injury. After shaking off some early rust, she and the Mavericks took a four-point lead at 10-6 before Post pulled back in and eventually led as late as 18-17. Mercy was not about to be swept, though, and rattled off an 8-2 run to close out the game and halve the match deficit.
A comeback was not in the cards for Mercy, however, as Post jumped out to a 15-9 lead in the fourth set and extended it to 21-11 before Mercy recovered. The Mavericks built up a 9-3 run in a late rally attempt, including six straight points facing match point, but Post finally got the kill it needed to close out the set at 25-20 and take the match.
White recorded 19 kills and 12 digs while Gebhardt was not far behind with 17 kills and 10 digs. Senior setter Kassy Phillips (Marcellus, N.Y.) made 21 assists over the first two sets while Ronan made 19 in the second two while adding five digs. Junior libero Mallorie Hopkins (Commerce, Calif.) set a career high in leading the match with 21 digs, while junior defensive specialist Kirstie Zubiate (Salinas, Calif.) put up another 13 along with a team-high four aces to add to bring her season total to 12 already.
Senior outside hitter Kelly Hayes (South Orange, N.J.) barely reached double digits with 10 kills for the Eagles, with sophomore setter Julia Slyaktina (Moscow, Russia) making 24 assists and serving up four aces while junior libero Monica Aristizabal (Tustin, Calif.) and junior outside hitter Emily Wilman (Perth Amboy, N.J.) recorded 17 and 13 digs, respectively.
Head Coach Taneisha Cantave and the Mavericks will look to bounce back on Thursday, Sept. 13 as they travel to Felician College for a 7:00 p.m. opening serve.
