White's 44 Kills Leads Volleyball in Tri-Match With Roberts Wesleyan, Dominican
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 26, 2014) – Senior Brenna White (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas) slammed home 44 kills on the day as the Mercy College volleyball team hosted East Coast Conference opponent Roberts Wesleyan College and Dominican College for a tri-match on Sunday afternoon.
The Mavericks falls to 5-21 overall and 1-11 in the ECC, while the Redhawks improve to 13-9 (7-5 ECC) and Dominican is now 13-7 after Roberts Wesleyan defeated Dominican, 3-1, in match two of the day.
Mercy 0, Roberts Wesleyan 3
The first match of the afternoon saw the visitors lead almost the entire set as they built a 22-20 advantage late in the frame before Mercy stormed back with a kill from White and an ace from sophomore Michelle Luna (Costa Mesa, Calif./Costa Mesa) to tie the score up at 22-22. The two teams traded points before Roberts Wesleyan rattled off a pair of kills to close out the set.
The second set saw the Mavericks build a 12-9 lead midway through the set and it looked like they may be able to square up the match, but the Redhawks put together seven points in a row to take a 16-12 lead and held on to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Mercy raced out to a 14-9 advantage in the third stanza, but the guests responded with an 11-5 run to take the lead at 20-19. The Mavericks stayed within shouting distance with freshman Sa'Naya Johnson (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) putting down a kill to make it 24-23 in favor of Roberts Wesleyan, but a late attack error proved fatal as the guests secured the victory.
White finished with 19 kills and 15 digs for 14th double-double and hit a strong .441, while Johnson provided eight kills. Junior Abi Foti (Bedford, N.H./Bedford) contributed four kills and senior McKenna Ronan (Chandler, Ariz./Seton Catholic Prep) directed the offense with 31 assists and chipped in with eight digs.
Mercy 2, Dominican 3
The final tilt of the day saw a matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked kills per set leaders in the NCAA in Dominican's Mckenzie John and White. The two would not disappoint as they combined for 54 kills in the match with 25 coming from White.
The opening frame saw the Chargers find their way to a 10-1 lead early on and the Mavericks would not be able to recover, falling behind 1-0.
Mercy regrouped in the next set and laid claim to a 15-10 lead following a kill by senior Sonia Morales (San Fernando, Calif./Discovery Prep (L.A. Mission College)), but Dominican kept creeping closer and finally tied the score up at 22-22. They would score three of the next four points to close out the set and take a 2-0 margin.
Despite having their backs against the wall, the Mavericks wouldn't give up as they found themselves with a lead for most of the early going in the third set before the Chargers took a 19-18 lead. However, realizing the game was on the line, White stepped up and slammed home a pair of kills to help the Mavericks score five unanswered and take back the lead for good as they cut the deficit to 2-1.
Dominican got out to a 24-18 lead in the fourth frame, needing only one point to secure the set and match, but Mercy would not go away as they scored seven unanswered to take the lead at 25-24, using three kills from White and a kill each from Ronan and freshman Destinee Simpson (Westhampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional). The Chargers retook the lead at 26-25, but the Mavericks kept fighting and used a pair of White aces to do what seemed improbable by forcing a fifth and deciding set.
Mercy jumped out to a 10-7 advantage in the final set, forcing a Dominican timeout, but the Mavericks comeback attempt ran out of steam as they were outscored 8-2 to close out the match and the Chargers escaped with a win despite a valiant effort by the home team.
Simpson ended up with eight kills, while Ronan ended up with 34 assists, nine digs and six kills. Niccole Soriano (Elizabeth, N.J./Thomas A. Edison) and sophomore Floriana Rraci (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) contributed on the defensive end with 18 kills apiece and Morales added nine kills.
Head Coach Kelly Wengerter and the Mavericks will now embark on a two-game road trip, facing ECC foe Dowling on Tuesday, October 28th at 7:30 p.m.
