DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (July 8, 2019) – For the fifth year in a row, Mercy College Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top-10 most memorable moments of the 2018-19 season, with all 10 sports represented.
Mercy College Athletics will release a Top-10 moment, as chosen by the athletics staff, with a recap every Monday and Friday for the next five weeks, culminating with the top moment from the 2018-19 athletic year being unveiled on Friday, July 26th.
No. 6 – Volleyball Wins Most Matches Since 2005
The No. 6 spot in our Top-10 Moments from the 2018-19 season belongs to volleyball who won their most matches in a season since 2005.
Head Coach Georgia Efthalitsides and the Mavericks were picked to finish seventh in the ECC Preseason Poll after posting seven wins in 2017. Mercy welcomed five newcomers to the team ahead of the 2018 season and would open up their season on August 23rd in a tri-match at East Stroudsburg.
The Mavericks opened up their 2018 season with a win against Bloomfield in three sets, earning their first win in a season opener since 2011. Sophomore Leilani Vazquez opened her Mercy career with 20 kills along with 16 digs. Mercy dropped their second match of the day in three sets to host East Stroudsburg to fall to 1-1 on the year. After the two matches, senior Brooke Runge was named to the ECC Honor Roll.
Mercy opened up their home slate on August 27th when senior Leah Petty had a match-high 11 kills to lead the Mavericks to a straight-set win over Dominican. The win moved Mercy to 2-1 for the first time since 2010. A straight-set loss to Saint Rose on August 29th dropped the Mavericks to 2-2 on the year.
A tri-match at Chestnut Hill on September 1st opened the month of September for the Mavericks. Mercy dropped a pair of matches to American International and Chestnut Hill to fall to 2-4 in 2018.
The Mavericks fell to 2-5 on September 7th when they lost to Pace despite Vazquez and freshman Sophia Flanders recording double-doubles. Mercy saw the record fall to 2-7 on September 8th when they dropped two more matches to Edinboro and Saint Anselm. After the weekend's matches, Vazquez was named to the ECC Honor Roll.
Mercy opened up ECC play with a three-set loss to Bridgeport on September 12th with freshman Loreto Nunez Casal recording eight kills and Runge dishing out 24 assists. The Mavericks fell to 2-9 with a loss at Pace on September 14th.
The Mavericks got back to their winning ways on September 21st with a straight-set win over Queens in their first match at the newly renovated Victory Gym. The next day Mercy suffered a straight-set loss to Molloy to drop to 3-10 overall and 1-2 in ECC play. After the week's matches, senior Neysha Gonzalez was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week and Vazquez was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
A loss to LIU Post on September 28th saw Mercy fall to 3-11 and 1-3 in ECC play. Mercy regrouped and came away with a four-set win over New York Tech the next day. The win over the Bears was the program's first since 2005 and the Mavericks were led by Petty who had 16 kills and Gonzalez posted a match-high 24 digs.
The Mavericks lost their next match to Pace in four sets before earning a five-set win over Felician to improve to 5-12 on the year. Following the week's matches, senior Kaitlyn Partridge was named to the ECC Honor Roll.
Mercy continued to battle and play well, leading to their first-ever win at Roberts Wesleyan on October 5th. The Mavericks earned a five-set win which gave Mercy their best 18-match start since 2013 (6-12) and most ECC wins in a season since 2011. The 3-3 start in ECC play was also the program's best since 2005. Mercy ended the week with a loss to Daemen on October 6th, but Partridge ended the week by earning ECC Honor Roll recognition.
Another first since 2005 happened on October 10th for the Mavericks as they defeated Bridgeport in straight sets. The win moved Mercy to 7-13 overall and 4-4 in ECC action, matching the Mavericks win total from all of last year. The Mavericks sat just one game back for the fourth and final ECC Tournament spot.
A double-double from Vazquez, a match-high 43 assists from Runge and a match-high 21 digs from Gonzalez gave the Mavericks a four-set win over Nyack on October 12th. The win surpassed the Mavericks win total from all of last year and gave Mercy their most wins in a season since 2013. After the big week for Mercy, Petty was named ECC Player of the Week, Sarah Watson was named Rookie of the Week and Runge received Honor Roll accolades.
Mercy continued their best season in over a decade with a win over Concordia in straight sets in their Dig Pink Match on October 16th. The win moved the Mavericks to 9-13 on the year and was their third straight win.
The three-match winning streak came to an end against Molloy on October 19th, but the Mavericks quickly responded with a straight-set win over Queens on October 20th with Runge recording another double-double. The win gave Mercy their most ECC wins (5) since 2005 and they swept the season series with Queens for the first time since 2005. The victory also moved Mercy a half game behind LIU Post for the fourth and final ECC Tournament spot.
Runge recorded her 2,000th career assist on October 24th in the Mavericks four-set win over Goldey-Beacom. The win moved Mercy to 11-14 overall and 7-2 in their last nine matches. The 25-match start was also the best since 2005. After the win, Vazquez was named to the ECC Honor Roll.
Mercy overcame a two-set deficit to defeat New York Tech again on October 26th. The victory gave the Mavericks their most wins in a season since 2005 and their first sweep over the Bears since 2005. Vazquez had 20 kills and 27 digs and Runge had 45 assists and 11 digs in the win. The next day saw the Mavericks drop a three-set match to LIU Post, dropping their record to 12-15 overall and 6-6 in ECC play. The loss dropped Mercy a game behind Bridgeport for the fourth and final ECC Tournament spot.
Seniors Runge, Gonzalez, Petty and Partridge led the Mavericks to a five-set win over Georgian Court on Senior Night on November 1st, improving Mercy to 13-15 on the season. Runge had a career-high 47 assists with 11 digs and Gonzalez had 17 digs. After the win, Vazquez was named ECC Player of the Week and Runge was named to the Honor Roll.
The Mavericks resumed action on November 3rd and would drop a five-set match to first-place Daemen before earning a straight-set win over Assumption. Nunez Casal led the way with a team-high 24 kills on the day. The loss to the Wildcats eliminated the Mavericks from ECC Tournament contention. Mercy ended their season on November 4th with a four-set setback to Roberts Wesleyan. The Mavericks concluded the season 14-17 overall and 6-8 in ECC play. Mercy ended their season with their most overall wins and ECC wins since 2005.
After the season was over, Partridge and Vazquez were named Second Team All-ECC, becoming the program's first All-Conference selections since 2014. Partridge was a two-time Honor Roll recipient and was second on the team with 255 kills and led the team with 79 blocks and a .313 hitting percentage. Vazquez was a three-time Honor Roll recipient and one-time Player of the Week after leading the team with 326 kills.
The 2018 season proved to be a successful one for the Mavericks and they will look to make the ECC Tournament under Head Coach Georgia Efthalitsides in 2019.
Schedule for the Top-10 Moments of the 2018-19 Season
Every Monday and Friday for the next five weeks, the Mercy College Athletics Department will release the Top-10 moments one at a time beginning with the No. 10 moment on Monday, June 24th. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Friday, July 26th.
No. 1 – July 26
No. 2 – July 22
No. 3 – July 19
No. 4 – July 15
No. 5 – July 12
No. 6 – July 8
No. 7 – Baseball Posts Back-to-Back 21 Win Seasons for First Time in Program History
No. 8 – Softball Records Fourth Straight Season of 20 or More Wins
No. 9 – Bryan Griffin Named First Team All-Met and First Team All-ECC
No. 10 – Amber Brown Named First Team All-Met and Second Team All-ECC
