Volleyball to Face Bentley and Merrimack in NE-10/ECC Challenge
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Sept. 21, 2012) – The Mercy College volleyball team will take part in the Northeast 10/East Coast Conference Challenge this weekend in Waltham, Mass., playing a pair of matches on Saturday, Sept. 22 against host Bentley University (2-7) and Merrimack College (2-6).
The Mavericks have not faced Bentley since the 2006 season but defeated Merrimack in their only matchup last year, in the season opener. Then-freshman outside hitter Brenna White (Gardnerville, Nev.) burst onto the scene with 20 kills in her first career match, while junior outside hitter Nicolette Gebhardt (Pine Bush, N.Y.) added 15 kills in the 3-1 victory. The pair also led the team with 11 and 10 digs, respectively.
The 2-6 (0-1) Mavericks will kick off their tournament appearance at 10 a.m. as they take on Bentley. Mercy will face a young and diverse Falcons squad that has lost its last three matches and seven of its last eight, with only a victory over fellow ECC member Queens College breaking up the skid.
A quartet of Californians lead the Falcons' offense, with sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Buckner (San Marino, Calif.) spearheading the attack with 78 kills but on a meager .109 hitting percentage, while senior middle blocker Grace Conner (Santa Barbara, Calif.) paces the squad with a .297 hitting percentage. Freshman Kyana Miller (San Diego, Calif.) and sophomore Alex Tator (Los Angeles, Calif.) have combined for 280 assists while splitting time at setter.
A pair of Midwest imports round out Bentley's impact players as sophomore libero Lauren Colasanti (Northville, Mich.) leads the team with 120 digs while Conner and sophomore middle blocker Simone Silvera (Bolingbrook, Ill.) have totaled 15.0 and 13.5 blocks, respectively. Most recently, Buckner smacked 12 kills over four sets in a 3-1 loss to Assumption College (6-8), while Miller made 20 assists, Tator added 10 and Colasanti led the team with 13 digs.
Mercy will get a short break before facing off with Merrimack at 3:00 p.m. The teams share one common opponent thus far into the season, with both having lost to Southern New Hampshire University within the past week. The Warriors' attack is centered around sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Sheehan (Smithtown, N.Y.) who has smashed 105 kills on a team-high .216 hitting percentage. The rest of the offense does not seem too formidable, as senior setter Brianna Trabucco (Canton, Mass.) has made just 186 assists, averaging only 6.64 per set, while no one has reached double-digits in service aces.
However, after a slow 0-4 start to the season, the Warriors offense showed signs of breaking out in their most recent match, a 3-1 loss to SNHU. Sheehan led the match with her second consecutive 20-kill game on a .279 hitting percentage with a pair of other Warriors smacking 10 kills apiece and Trabucco totaling 41 assists. Sheehan also led a trio of 10-plus diggers with 14 as the team combined for 9.0 total blocks.
Freshman libero Madison Burke (San Jose, Calif.) marshals the back line with 95 digs, while the front line employs frequent double blocking, with senior middle blocker Jenna Reilly (Northport, N.Y.) and sophomore right-side hitter Corinne Gosselin (Lawrence, Mass.) having totaled 18.0 and 12.0 blocks, respectively, with only three solo between them.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, are enjoying perhaps the most potent pair of attacking threats in all of Division II. White leads the team and once again ranks among the NCAA leaders with 134 kills while Gebhardt has exhibited a huge increase in efficiency, smacking 73 kills on an impressive .336 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter McKenna Ronan (Chandler, Ariz.) has returned from an offseason injury to already make 176 assists, averaging a whopping 10.35 per set, and junior transfer defensive specialist Kirstie Zubiate (Salinas, Calif.) has served up 21 aces. On the defensive side, junior transfer Mallorie Hopkins (Commerce, Calif.) leads the squad with 90 digs while White and Zubiate are not far behind having made 72 and 60, respectively. Finally, senior middle blocker Kassy Phillips (Marcellus, N.Y.), freshman middle blocker Hana Brucaj (Shruboak, N.Y.) and junior middle hitter Nicole Pepe (East Meadow, N.Y.) have shown signs of forming an impressive front line having totaled 9.0, 8.5 and 6.5 blocks, respectively. Senior defensive specialist Marissa Hurley (Shirley, N.Y.), freshman middle blocker Kat Hirsh (Haworth, N.J.) and freshman outside hitter Abi Foti (Bedford, N.H.) have also impressed at times when called upon.
Mercy most recently dropped an exhilirating five-set match to the University of the District of Columbia in the team's ECC opener. White tied her career high of 31 kills and added 16 digs while Ronan smashed her own career high with 54 assists.
The Mavericks will warm up for the weekend slate as they take on UMass-Lowell (3-4) tonight in Lowell, Mass. at 7:00 p.m.
Fans can follow Saturday's games via Live Stats and video by clicking the respective links, which are also accessible through the Bentley volleyball website. Unfortunately, the Mavericks' second match, on Court 2, will not be tracked live.
Full NE-10/ECC Challenge Schedule
Court 1 Court 2
Friday, Sept. 21 - 7:00 p.m. - Bentley v. Dowling
Saturday, Sept.22 - 10:00 a.m. - Bentley v. Mercy 10:00 a.m. - Dowling v. UMass-Lowell
1:00 p.m. - Merrimack v. Dowling 1:00 p.m. - UMass-Lowell v. LIU Post
3:00 p.m. - Bentley v. LIU Post 3:30 p.m. - Merrimack v. Mercy
