Team Effort Leads Volleyball Back to .500 with 3-1 Win at Felician
Box Score RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Sept. 19, 2013) – Junior outside hitter Brenna White (Gardnerville, Nev. / Douglas) led three Mavericks in double-digit kills while posting her fifth double-double in just eight games this season as the Mercy College volleyball team moved back to .500 with a 3-1 victory at Felician College Thursday night.
Mercy improves to 4-4 on the year while Felician drops to 1-5.
Junior middle blocker Sonia Morales (San Fernando, Calif. / Discovery Prep) got the Mavericks started with back-to-back kills as Mercy jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first set behind three service aces by senior libero Mallorie Hopkins (Commerce, Calif. / Pasadena City College). Felician recovered to trade points through the remainder of the set but could do no better as Mercy went on to win, 25-14, to take the 1-0 lead in the match.
The Golden Falcons bounced back to start the second set, capitalizing on six attack errors by the Mavericks to take the opening 10 points. Mercy slowly clawed back into the game, eventually riding a 6-1 run to cut the margin to two points at 23-21, but Felician held on, 25-22, to even the match.
The Mavericks found themselves down, 7-4, early in the third set, but recovered to regain the lead in short order and extended it throughout, capping the set with the final five points for a 25-16 victory to regain the 2-1 advantage in the match.
Mercy rode the momentum into the fourth set, exploding out to a 14-5 lead and closing things out, 25-14, behind a 16-kill performance. White smacked five kills in the Mavericks' final eight points as Mercy won the match, 3-1, and got back to .500 on the young season.
White tallied 19 kills and 10 digs for the double-double while Morales added 13 kills on a .375 hitting percentage, sophomore opposite side hitter Abi Foti (Bedford, N.H. / Bedford) smacked 10 kills and senior middle blocker Nicole Pepe (East Meadow, N.Y. / East Meadow) put down eight more on a .368 hitting percentage. Junior setter McKenna Ronan (Chandler, Ariz. / Seton Catholic Prep) made an impressive 46 assists and senior Kirstie Zubiate (Salinas, Calif. / North Monterey County) led the squad with 19 digs while Hopkins recorded her fourth straight game with at least 24 digs.
Sophomore outside hitter Olivia Emerson led the Golden Falcons with 20 kills while sophomore setter Susie McKeever made 22 assists. Sophomore libero Patrycja Giemza recorded 23 digs while junior outside hitter Emma Reijonan made 11 and sophomore setter Sarah Shebel had 10.
Head Coach Kelly Wengerter and the Mavericks will host Assumption College (3-5) in their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m.
