BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Oct. 24, 2019) – Despite a match-high-tying 12 kills from senior Imani DeBose (Carson, Calif./The College of New Rochelle), the Mercy College volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (17-25, 23-25, 17-25) decision to ECC foe University of Bridgeport on Thursday night.
The Mavericks (9-15, 2-4 ECC) fail to build off their win on Saturday, while the Purple Knights (20-5, 6-1 ECC) have won two matches in a row.
DeBose hit .333 with the 12 kills and sophomore Selma Vulic (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) had a match-high 17 digs. Junior Natalia Garcia (Vega Baja, P.R./Turabo University) had a match-high 23 assists with seven digs and sophomore Loreto Nunez Casal (Pontevedra, Spain/Sagrado Corazon De Jesus) had six kills.
Bridgeport was led by Amanda Hennemann who had a match-high-tying 12 kills.
The Purple Knights jumped out to a 5-0 lead in set one and later increased the lead to 12-3 after a Hennemann kill. The Mavericks battled back and cut the lead to five, 20-15, but the hosts ended the set on a 5-2 run to take the first set, 25-17.
Mercy scored the first three points of the second set and led 8-4 after a Nichole Rivera Maldonado (Bayamon, P.R./Academia Discipulos De Cristo) kill. Bridgeport answered with five straight points to take a 9-8 lead and later made it 12-10. The Mavericks ensued with a 5-1 spurt to retake the lead at 15-13, forcing a Purple Knight timeout. After the timeout, the hosts went on a 6-2 run to take a 19-17 lead. Mercy had another answer and went on a 4-1 run, capped off by a DeBose kill, to take a 21-20 lead. Bridgeport followed with two straight points to take a 22-21 lead before DeBose tied the set at 22-22 following another kill. The teams traded points to make it 23-23 before back-to-back points by the Purple Knights gave them a 25-23 set two win.
The teams were tied at 9-9 in set three after a DeBose kill. Bridgeport then went on an 8-2 run to build a 17-11 lead. Mercy cut the Purple Knights lead to four, 18-14, but that would be the closest they got as Bridgeport finished off the set and match.
Mercy hit .148 with 27 kills and 42 digs and Bridgeport hit .250 with 37 kills and 44 digs.
Head Coach Georgia Efthalitsides and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, October 26th when they play Bloomfield and Goldey-Beacom at Goldey-Beacom starting at 2 p.m.
