DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 11, 2021) – The Mercy College volleyball team plays at Southern Connecticut on Tuesday, October 12th at 7 p.m. before hosting ECC foe Bridgeport on Wednesday, October 13th at 7 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 12th 7 p.m.
Records: Mercy (8-8), Southern Connecticut State (15-6)
Location: New Haven, Conn.
Date/Time: Wednesday, October 13th 7 p.m.
Records: Mercy (8-8, 4-1 ECC), Bridgeport (8-7, 3-2 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Southern Connecticut
Southern Connecticut State earned a 3-1 win over Mercy on October 13, 2015.
Last Meeting vs. Bridgeport
Bridgeport earned a 3-0 win over Mercy on October 24, 2019.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a straight-set win over D'Youville on Sunday. The Mavericks were led by junior Yarianne Gonzalez who had a match-high 31 assists and a team-high 13 digs. Senior Nilka Rivera Maldonado had a match-high 13 kills and junior Larissa Schneid had nine kills and 10 digs. The Mavericks are off to their best start overall and in ECC play since 2005. Gonzalez has been named ECC Setter of the Week once, junior Larissa Schneid has been named to the ECC Honor Roll five times and senior Nilka Rivera Maldonado has been named to the ECC Honor Roll twice. Senior Tynesha Adams was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday and has been named to the Honor Roll once. Schneid leads the team with 179 kills and 3.09 kills per set. The junior is also second on the team in digs with 183. Adams leads the team with 37 blocks and is third with 112 kills. Rivera Maldonado is second on the team with 153 kills and fifth with 110 digs. Gonzalez has a team-high 526 assists with a team-high 185 digs. Gonzalez ranks second in the ECC in assists per set (9.07). Senior Sophia Flanders ranks third on the team in digs with 169 and senior Selma Vulic has 124 digs. Mercy as a team is third in the ECC in digs per set (16.1) and third in service aces per set (1.84).
The Mavericks went 14-18 in 2019 and made their first ECC Championship appearance since 2008. Mercy also finished .500 or better in ECC play for the first time since 2005. The Mavericks have been picked fourth in the ECC Preseason Coaches' Poll and first-year Head Coach Gary Preston Jr. has four returners from the 2019 team and has 11 student-athletes who will see their first match action as Mavericks during the 2021 season. Leading the returners are Vulic, Flanders and Stéphanie Lankhorst. Vulic was named ECC Rookie of the Week five times in 2019 and was third on the team in kills and digs. Flanders has appeared in 49 matches in two seasons and has 267 career digs. Lankhorst was named ECC Rookie of the Week once as a freshman in 2019, led the team in aces and was second in blocks. Also returning is Garay who appeared in 17 matches in 2019. Adams joined the program last year but is seeing her first game action for the Mavericks. She had 89 kills, 45 digs and 49 blocks in 2019 at Division I Bethune Cookman University. Rivera Maldonado also joined the program last year and had 72 kills and 51 digs in 2019. Gonzalez transfers in from Monroe College after playing 41 matches with 656 assists and 53 aces in 2019. Schneid joins the program from Iowa Western Community College where she played in 32 matches in two seasons with 89 kills and 56 digs. Junior Tanializ Rivera joins the Mavericks from Concordia College where she had 232 kills, 71 digs and 37 blocks. Also seeing their first match action this year are sophomores Jessica Angounou and Lizbeth Sosa and freshmen Jaelyn Ríos and Sydney Whitfield.
Scouting the Owls
Southern Connecticut State is coming off a 3-1 win over Wilmington on Sunday after dropping a four-set match to AIC earlier in the day. The Owls started the season 6-0 and are currently 15-6 on the year. Southern Connecticut was picked seventh in the NE10 Coaches' Poll after going 14-16 in 2019. The Owls are led by junior Gabriela Gaibur who has a team-best and NE10-best 235 kills. She also has 248 digs and 25 aces. Graduate student Abigail Epstein is second on the team with 193 kills and sophomore Krishnalei So'oto has a team-high 270 digs. Sophomore Taylor Jones has a team-high 526 assists and Epstein has a team-high 57 blocks.
Scouting the Purple Knights
Bridgeport will play at AIC on Tuesday before playing at Mercy on Wednesday. The Purple Knights have lost three of their last four matches and are coming off a straight-set loss to Daemen at home on Sunday. The Purple Knights were picked third in the ECC Coaches' Poll after going 26-8 in 2019. Bridgeport is 25-2 against Mercy in their last 27 meetings. The Purple Knights last lost to Mercy in 2018. Bridgeport is led by freshman Paola Hernandez who has a team-high 192 kills with 132 digs. Senior Emily Burford is second on the team with 151 kills and senior Amanda Hennemann has a team-high 171 digs. Freshman Jaden Drollinger has a team-high 597 assists and senior Amanda Keller has a team-high 37 blocks.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Friday, October 15th when they host AIC at 6 p.m.
