DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (May 28, 2020) - For the sixth year in a row, Mercy College Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top-10 most memorable moments of the 2019-20 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 Thursday for the next ten weeks, culminating with the top moment from the 2019-20 athletic year being unveiled on Thursday, June 11th.

No. 3 – Volleyball Makes First ECC Tournament Appearance Since 2008

Coming in at No. 3 in our 2019-20 Top-10 Moments is volleyball who made their first ECC Tournament appearance since 2008.

The Mavericks were coming off a 14-win season in 2018 and were picked to finish fourth in the ECC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Mercy opened up their 2019 season on September 6th at the Victory Hall Sports Center when they earned a four-set win over Nyack. The Mavericks then dropped a 3-0 decision to Saint Rose later in the day to sit at 1-1 on the year. Senior Imani DeBose finished with a team-high 22 kills on the day in her debut as a Maverick. Mercy won their season opener for the second straight year.

The next day Mercy hosted Post and Franklin Pierce as part of the Long Island Invitational. The Mavericks earned a 3-1 victory over Post to kick off the day before falling in a hard-fought five-set match to Franklin Pierce. Sophomore Selma Vulic had a team-high 28 kills on the day to lead Mercy. The Mavericks sat at 2-2 after the opening weekend and Vulic was named ECC Rookie of the Week and DeBose was tabbed to the Honor Roll.

Mercy improved to 3-2 on the year on September 10th when they came away with a straight-set win over Dominican. Junior Natalia Garcia had a near triple-double with eight kills, 17 assists and nine digs and the Mavericks started 3-2 for the first time since 2013. Mercy resumed action on September 14th when they dropped a straight-set match to Assumption with freshman Ayzaline Garay producing a career-high eight kills. The next day the Mavericks fell to Stonehill and Pittsburgh-Johnstown in a pair of four-set matches. DeBose had a team-high 28 kills on the day as the Mavericks fell to 3-5 on the year. After the week was over, Vulic was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the second time and DeBose and Garcia were tabbed to the Honor Roll.

The Mavericks returned home on September 18th to face Pace in their CODA Awareness Game. DeBose had a match-high 22 kills but Mercy fell in four sets. Mercy then headed to USciences on September 21st where they faced Millersville and USciences. DeBose had a team-high 22 kills on the day as Mercy dropped a 3-0 decision to Millersville before earning a four-set win over USciences. Following the win over the Devils, Mercy sat at 4-7 on the year. Vulic received ECC Rookie of the Week for the third time and DeBose was tabbed to the Honor Roll again.

Mercy opened up ECC play on September 26th against Bridgeport. DeBose had a match-high-tying 11 kills but the Purple Knights came away with a three-set win. The Mavericks returned to action on September 28th when they hosted Bentley and American International. Mercy fell to Bentley in straight sets before earning a five-set win over the Yellow Jackets to improve to 5-9 on the year. Garcia had a triple-double against American International finishing with 10 kills, 41 assists and 13 digs. Following the win, Vulic was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time and Garcia was tabbed to the Honor Roll.

The Mavericks picked up their second straight win on October 1st when DeBose had a match-high 14 kills to lead Mercy to a straight-set win over Saint Michael's. Mercy then headed to Western New York where they played at Daemen on October 4th, falling in three sets. The Mavericks concluded the weekend on October 5th with a four-set win at Roberts Wesleyan with sophomore Loreto Nunez Casal recording 19 kills. Mercy improved to 7-10 overall and 1-2 in ECC play, which was their best 17-match start since 2013. Following the week, Nunez Casal was named to the ECC Honor Roll for the first time.

Mercy played at Molloy on October 9th with the Lions coming away with a 3-0 victory despite Nunez Casal posting a match-high nine kills. The Mavericks ended the week with a pair of losses to Le Moyne and New Haven on October 12th despite a team-high 31 kills from DeBose. Mercy sat at 7-13 following the weekend and Vulic was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fifth time and Garcia was tabbed to the Honor Roll.

DeBose had a match-high 15 kills on October 16th as Mercy earned a straight-set win over Queens in their Dig Pink Match. Mercy got back into action on October 19th when they fell to Southern New Hampshire and earned a five-set win over Wilmington. Garcia had two double-doubles as Mercy moved to 9-14 on the year. DeBose was named ECC Player of the Week and Garcia was named Setter of the Week after the week was over.

Mercy headed to Bridgeport on October 24th and fell in three sets despite 12 kills from DeBose. The Mavericks concluded the week with matchups against Bloomfield and Goldey-Beacom on October 26th. Mercy fell to Bloomfield before earning a three-set win over Goldey-Beacom. The Mavericks moved to 10-16 on the year with the win over the Lightning. After the week was over, freshman Stéphanie Lankhorst was named to the ECC Honor Roll.

The Mavericks faced Roberts Wesleyan on November 2nd and were led by Nunez Casal who had a match-high 13 kills. Mercy earned a straight-set win at Victory Hall Sports Center to sweep the season series with Roberts Wesleyan for the first time in program history. The win moved Mercy to 11-16 overall and 3-4 in ECC play. Mercy sat two games ahead of the Redhawks for the fourth and final ECC Tournament spot with three ECC matches left to play. The next day Nunez Casal produced a match-high 13 kills as Mercy earned a straight-set win over Daemen to secure their first ECC Tournament berth since 2008. The Mavericks defeated the Wildcats for the first time since 2014 and sat in a tie for third in the ECC standings with them. After the week was over, Lankhorst was named ECC Rookie of the Week and Nunez Casal, DeBose and Garcia were tabbed to the Honor Roll.

Mercy faced first-place Molloy on November 5th and held their own before falling in four sets at Victory Hall Sports Center. The Mavericks sat at 12-17 overall and 4-5 in ECC play after the match. After the week was over, Nunez Casal and Garcia were tabbed to the ECC Honor Roll.

The Mavericks faced Bloomfield again on November 12th for Senior Night. Mercy dropped a three-set match to the Bears the last time they played earlier in the season, but this time the Mavericks came away with an exciting five-set win to improve to 13-17 on the year. DeBose had a season-high 24 kills in the win as the Mavericks celebrated the careers of DeBose, Jessica Berka, Ciara Rosado and NeKendra Liddie.

Mercy concluded their regular season on November 16th at Queens. Junior Adriana Lopez-Soto recorded her 1,000th career dig as the Mavericks earned a straight-set win over the Knights. Mercy ended the regular season 14-17 overall and 5-5 in ECC play. The Mavericks finished .500 or better in ECC play for the first time since 2005 and secured the No. 4 seed in the ECC Championship where they would play at No. 1 seed Molloy on November 22nd. DeBose was named to the ECC Honor Roll a final time after the Queens match.

Before the Mavericks faced Molloy in the ECC Tournament, DeBose was named First Team All-ECC and Garcia was tabbed All-ECC Honorable Mention. DeBose led the ECC in kills (377) and kills per set (3.40), was named ECC Player of the Week once and was tabbed to the ECC Honor Roll five times. Garcia was named ECC Setter of the Week once and was tabbed to the ECC Honor Roll five times. The junior ranked third in the ECC in assists per set (8.36) and second in assists (961).

Mercy faced top seed Molloy in the ECC Tournament on November 22nd in their first appearance since 2008. The Mavericks dropped a 3-0 (15-25, 13-25, 15-25) decision to the Lions despite Garcia recording her 1,000th career assist. Mercy ended the year at 14-18 overall and saw their season end in the ECC Tournament for the first time since 2008.

The accolades did not end there for the Mavericks as Garcia was named the department's Co-Female Junior of the Year. The 2019 season proved to be a successful one for the Mavericks and they will look to build upon that success in 2020.  

Schedule for the Top-10 Moments of the 2019-20 Season

Every Thursday for the next ten weeks, the Mercy College Athletics Department will release the Top-10 moments one at a time beginning with the No. 10 moment on Thursday, April 9th. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Thursday, June 11th.

No. 1 – June 11th

No. 2 – June 4th

No. 3 – May 28th

No. 4 – Women's Basketball Doubles Win Total Over 2018-19 Season

No. 5 – Bryan Griffin Sets Multiple School Records Throughout Season

No. 6 – Field Hockey Defeats 2018 Final Four Participant Pace

No. 7 – Men's Lacrosse Defeats No. 7 Pace

No. 8 – Women's Lacrosse Defeats No. 18 Bentley in Final Seconds on the Road

No. 9 – Softball Gets Off to Best Four-Game Start Since 2017

No. 10 – John Mooradian, Miguel Ortiz Sanchez and Anthony Murphy Reach Career Milestones and Move up in Baseball Record Book