Olson Records Double-Double as Volleyball Faces Caldwell and Georgian Court
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Box Score 2 LAKEWOOD, N.J. (Sept. 6, 2015) – Despite 19 kills and 19 digs from freshman Peyton Olson (Albany, Ore./West Albany), the Mercy College volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (12-25, 16-25, 16-25) decision to Caldwell University and suffered a 3-1 (10-25, 14-25, 25-12, 17-25) setback to host Georgian Court University on the final day of the season-opening Georgian Court Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
The Mavericks fall to 0-4 on the season, while the Cougars improved to 3-0 and the Lions moved to 2-2 with their victories.
Olson recorded her first collegiate double-double in the second match of the day as she ended up with a season-high 14 kills to go along with a season-high 14 digs on .225 hitting. Junior Andrea Velasco (Whittier, Calif./Rio Hondo College) and sophomore Sa'Naya Johnson (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) each produced six kills on the day with Velasco adding 16 digs. Freshman Brianna Heffernan (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) led the way defensively as she finished the day with a team-high 36 digs. Freshman Toni Parente (East Patchogue, N.Y./Bellport) paced the Mavericks in assists with 29 on the afternoon, while junior Michelle Luna (Costa Mesa, Calif./Costa Mesa) chipped in 13 assists.
Caldwell was led by Kristin Murrell who finished with a double-double by way of 11 kills and 14 digs.
Jessica Pedroza had 10 kills in the second match of the day to lead Georgian Court.
Caldwell 3, Mercy 0
The Mavericks opened up the day with a matchup against a Caldwell squad that entered off a pair of wins yesterday, including a five-set win over Stonehill and a straight-set win over ECC foe Roberts Wesleyan.
The Cougars took control early on as they cruised to a 25-12 win in the opening set. The second set of the contest saw both teams play more efficiently on offense as the Mavericks ended the frame with 12 kills and a .196 hitting percentage, but Caldwell hit a strong .350 with 14 kills and no errors to take the set, 25-16. The Cougars closed up the match with a 25-16 win in the final frame as Mercy could only muster one kill and a -.065 hitting percentage.
Heffernan continued her strong play at the invitational, finishing with a team-high-tying five kills to go along with a team-high 17 digs. Olson also slammed home five kills and brought up five digs, while junior Floriana Rraci (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) ended the contest with 10 digs. Luna led the way from the setter position with 11 assists.
Georgian Court 3, Mercy 1
The second match of the afternoon saw Mercy get off to a slow start as they lost the first set 25-10 after hitting .045 as a team compared to the .261 hit by the home team. A similar situation would break out in the second stanza as the Lions cruised to a 25-14 win to take a 2-0 lead. However, the Mavericks would stave off the Lions for one more set as they hit .286 and put down 12 kills to win their first set of the season, 25-12, in impressive style. The momentum would be short lived as the hosts took the final frame 25-17 to seal the win and end any hope of a Mercy comeback.
Complementing Olson offensively in the second match was Velasco who finished with five kills and 13 digs. Heffernan continued her strong play defensively, finishing with a team-high 19 digs. Parente dished out a season-high 25 assists and finished with a season-high seven digs.
Head Coach Kelly Wengerter and the Mavericks will return to action on Tuesday, September 8th as they travel to Dominican College for a 7 p.m. start time.
