DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 12, 2018) – Powered by a double-double from sophomore Leilani Vazquez (Gurabo, Puerto Rico/Adelphi University), a match-high 43 assists from senior Brooke Runge (Closter, N.J./Northern Valley Demarest) and a match-high 21 digs from senior Neysha Gonzalez (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico/Monroe College), the Mercy College volleyball team surpassed their win total from all of last year with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-19) win over Nyack College on Friday night at Victory Gym.
The Mavericks (8-13) now have their most wins in a season since 2013 and have won two matches in a row, while the Warriors (9-12) see their three-match winning streak come to an end.
Vazquez recorded a team-high-tying 13 kills and had 16 digs. Senior Leah Petty had a team-high-tying 13 kills and had four blocks. Senior Kaitlyn Partridge (Corona, Calif./Mt. San Antonio College) finished with 12 kills and two blocks and Runge added eight digs. Freshmen Sarah Watson (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan/Maple Creek) and Loreto Nunez Casal (Pontevedra, Spain/Sagrado Corazon de Jesus) both recorded eight kills.
Nyack was led by Kyra Zuhlke who had a match-high 20 kills.
The Warriors jumped out to a 6-2 lead in set one and led 22-15 later in the set before the Mavericks ensued with seven straight points to tie the set up at 22-22, leading to a Nyack timeout. The Warriors responded with three of the final four points in the set to earn a 25-23 set one victory.
Mercy opened the second set with a 6-2 lead, but Nyack battled back and tied the set up at 6-6. Following a Maverick timeout, Mercy responded with a 10-4 run to build a 16-10 lead, capped off by a Watson kill. The Mavericks later increased the lead to 24-14 and held on for a 25-16 win to tie the match up at 1-1.
The Mavericks opened the third set with three straight points, but the Warriors came back and tied the set up at 13-13. Mercy responded with a 6-2 spurt to build a 19-15 advantage, following a Vazquez kill. After a Nyack timeout, the Mavericks rattled off four more points in a row to build a 23-15 lead and led the rest of the way to take a 2-1 lead.
Nyack started the final set with a 5-1 lead, but Mercy regrouped and went on an 11-5 run to take a 12-10 lead after a Vazquez ace. Nyack cut the deficit to one on three occasions but the Mavericks increased the lead to 21-15 after a 7-2 run and held off the Warriors to earn the four-set win.
Mercy hit .250 with 58 kills and 71 digs and Nyack hit .163 with 45 kills and 64 digs.
Head Coach Georgia Efthalitsides and the Mavericks resume action on Tuesday, October 16th with their Dig Pink Match against Concordia at 7 p.m.
