DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Sept. 28, 2019) – Powered by a triple-double in the second match of the day from junior Natalia Garcia (Vega Baja, P.R./Turabo University), the Mercy College volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (19-25, 21-25, 19-25) decision to Bentley University before earning a 3-2 (10-25, 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 15-10) victory over American International College on Saturday afternoon at Victory Hall Sports Center.
The Mavericks (5-9) snap a two-match losing streak with the win, while the Falcons (11-4) defeated the Yellow Jackets (2-14) in the other match of the day.
Match 1: Bentley 3, Mercy 0
The opening set saw Mercy take a 4-2 lead, but the Falcons answered back with an 8-1 run to take a 10-5 lead. Bentley later increased the lead to 16-10, but the Mavericks came back with three straight points to make it 16-13. The Falcons later held a 22-19 lead before closing the set with three straight points to take a 1-0 lead.
Mercy took a 9-6 lead in set two and held a 15-12 lead, forcing a Bentley timeout. Out of the timeout, the Falcons ensued with a 7-2 run to take a 19-17 lead. The Mavericks got within two, 22-20, but Bentley ended the set with a three of the final four points to take a 2-0 lead.
Bentley jumped out to an 8-3 lead in set three and led 12-7 before Mercy made it 13-10 after a sophomore Loreto Nunez Casal (Pontevedra, Spain/Sagrado Corazon de Jesus) kill. The Falcons later built an 18-10 lead and they led the rest of the way to secure the set and match.
Senior Imani DeBose (Carson, Calif./The College of New Rochelle) had a team-high 14 kills and Garcia had 28 assists and seven digs. Nunez Casal had eight kills and junior Adriana Lopez-Soto (Gurabo, P.R./Notre Dame HS) had 13 digs.
Bentley was led by Kirsten Segaline who had a team-high ten kills.
Match 2: Mercy 3, AIC 2
Mercy held a 5-4 edge in set one. However, the Yellow Jackets ended the set on a 21-5 run to take the set, 25-10.
The Mavericks regrouped and took a 6-3 lead in set two following a Garcia kill. Mercy later increased the lead to 13-4 before AIC made it 14-10 in favor of Mercy, leading to a Maverick timeout. Out of the timeout, Mercy went on an 8-2 run to build a 22-12 lead and held on to tie the match up at 1-1.
Mercy opened the third set with an 8-6 lead. AIC tied the set up at 9-9, but the Mavericks answered with four straight points to make it 13-9. DeBose later made it 16-11 following a kill, forcing an AIC timeout. After the timeout, the Mavericks made it 20-14 after a Nunez Casal kill and Mercy withstood a late Yellow Jacket rally to take a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was tied at 9-9 before AIC went on a 6-1 run to build a 15-10 lead. Mercy responded with a 7-2 run to tie the set up at 17-17. The set was later tied at 20-20 before AIC scored three straight points to take a 23-20 lead. Mercy followed with two unanswered to make it 23-22 and later made it 24-23, but a Jana Potic kill gave AIC the fourth set, 25-23.
Mercy took a 4-1 lead in set five after a Garcia kill. The Mavericks later held an 8-5 lead after a DeBose kill. A DeBose kill later made it 10-6, but the Yellow Jackets answered with two points to get within, 10-8. Mercy would close the set on a 5-2 run to secure the set and the match.
Nunez Casal had a team-high 19 kills and Garcia had ten kills, 41 assists and 13 digs. DeBose had 14 kills and Lopez-Soto had 15 digs. Sophomore Selma Vulic (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) had 13 digs and four kills.
AIC was led by Andrea Serra who had a match-high 21 kills.
Head Coach Georgia Efthalitsides and the Mavericks resume action on Tuesday, October 1st when they host Saint Michael's at 5:30 p.m.
