DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 12, 2017) – Despite a team-high sixteen assists from junior Brooke Runge (Closter, N.J./Northern Valley Demarest), the Mercy College volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (19-25, 10-25, 17-25) decision to NYIT in an East Coast Conference matchup on Thursday night at Dobbs Ferry High School.

The Mavericks (3-16, 0-7 ECC) have dropped nine matches in a row, while the Bears (16-5, 5-2 ECC) increase their win streak to four.

Runge also had six kills and two digs in the contest. Freshman Courtney Gebhardt (Bloomingburg, N.Y. / Pine Bush) had six kills, three digs, and two aces in the match. Junior Neysha Gonzalez (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico/Monroe College) finished with a team-high 14 digs and added two assists.

NYIT was led by Allison Fowler who had a match-high 18 digs and 42 assists, while Tiffany Verni contributed a match-high 19 kills.

The opening set of the night saw the Mavericks jump out for the lead with Johnson opening the set with a kill right off the bat. The Bears answered back with a kill from Verni and it was a back and forth battle for the first eight points of the set. The Bears were able to record three unanswered points to give them the 6-4 lead over the Mavericks. A service error from NYIT allowed the Mavericks to bring the set within one point at 6-5, but the second 3-0 tear from the Bears would give them the 9-5 lead that the Mavericks were unable to recover from. Although the Mavericks fought hard, they eventually fell 25-19 in the opening set.

The second set of the night was another back and forth battle from the start, with the score being tied on three occasions. The Bears would eventually rattle off seven straight points to take the 23-8 lead. The Mavericks continued to fight but were unable close the gap as they fell 25-10 in the second set, allowing the Bears to take a 2-0 advantage.

Mercy looked to prolong the match and was tied with NYIT at 10-10 in the third set. The Mavericks were able to gain the lead in the third set when they scored six unanswered points to gain a 12-10 lead. The Bears then answered back with two kills and a service ace to give them the 13-12 lead. A Bears setting error would allow for the Mavericks to tie the match again at 14-14. It was the five unanswered points from the Bears that would eventually conclude the match to earn the straight-set win.

The Mavericks hit .101 with 25 kills and 48 digs, while the Bears hit .309 with 46 kills and 62 digs.

Head Coach Georgia Efthalitsides and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they travel to Pace University for a non-conference matchup at 7 p.m.