NYACK, N.Y. (Oct. 19, 2017) - Powered by a match-high 15 kills from Kaitlyn Partridge (Corona, Calif. / Mt. San Antonio College), the Mercy College volleyball team earned a 3-1 (25-27, 25-22, 25-12, 25-19) victory over Dominican College on Thursday night at Nyack College.
The Mavericks (6-17) have won three matches in a row, while the Chargers (0-22) remain winless for the season.
Partridge recorded 15 kills, five blocks and two kills. Freshman Courtney Gebhardt (Bloomingburg, N.Y./Pine Bush) added 10 digs, six kills, five aces, and two blocks in the contest. Sophomore Jessica Berka (Hicksville, N.Y./ St. Dominic) added a match-high 32 assists for the Mavericks.
Dominican was led by Essence Boyd who had 18 assists, 13 digs and eight aces. Deanna Knopf recorded 11 digs, seven kills, two aces, two assists, and one block.
The first set of the night saw a back and forth battle between the Chargers and the Mavericks. Mercy was the first to get on the board with a kill from senior Sa'Naya Johnson (Elizabeth, N.J. / Elizabeth) to open the set. A 4-0 run would put the Mavericks up 7-3, until the Chargers responded with six unanswered points to give them a 9-7 lead. Another kill from Johnson would put the Chargers run to a halt. The set remained a back and forth battle, until Dominican was able to record the final three points of the set to give them the 27-25 victory for a 1-0 lead.
Mercy fell behind 2-0 in the second set but quickly regrouped to record three consecutive points to give them the 3-2 lead early. The Chargers and Mavericks did not allow for either to gain a large lead in the second set, as the score was tied on twelve separate occasions. Both teams saw themselves tied at 20-20 towards the end of the second set. A 3-0 tear from the Mavericks would allow for them to gain a 23-20 lead over the Chargers. The Chargers continued to fight, but two final points from the Mavericks would allow them to take the second set 25-22 and tie the match at 1-1.
The beginning of the third set saw a continued back and forth battle between the two teams, not allowing either to gain a significant lead. It wasn't until the Mavericks recorded eight unanswered points to give them an 18-7 lead. The Chargers were unable to overcome the deficit and eventually fell 25-12 to the Mavericks, allowing Mercy to gain a 2-1 lead.
The Chargers continued to fight in the fourth set, as they were the first to get on the board. The Mavericks were determined to take the match, as they recorded seven unanswered points to give them a 7-1 lead. Dominican fought back inch by inch, eventually getting themselves to a 14-7 score before they were able to record seven unanswered points to tie the set at 14-14. Mercy responded with four unanswered points of their own to give them an 18-14 lead. The Chargers tried to fight back, as they were able to get the score as close as 19-17. However, the Mavericks recorded five unanswered points and eventually took the final set 25-19 to earn the 3-1 victory over the Chargers.
Head Coach Georgia Efthalitsides and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, October 21st when they host Roberts Wesleyan at 1 p.m at Dobbs Ferry High School.
