DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Sept. 2, 2021) – The Mercy College volleyball team opens up their 2021 season on Thursday, September 2nd at Saint Rose at 7 p.m. before hosting Pace on Friday, September 3rd at 6 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd 7 p.m.
Records (2019): Mercy (14-18), Saint Rose (11-17)
Location: Albany, N.Y.
Date/Time: Friday, September 3rd 6 p.m.
Records (2019): Mercy (14-18), Pace (4-23)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Saint Rose
The teams last met on September 6, 2019 with Saint Rose earning a 3-0 win in Dobbs Ferry.
Last Meeting vs. Pace
Pace earned a 3-1 victory on September 18, 2019 in Dobbs Ferry.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is playing their first match in 650 days after not playing in 2020-21 due to COVID-19. 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 seniors Selma Vulic and Sophia Flanders and junior 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 junior Ayzaline Garay who appeared in 17 matches in 2019. Senior Tynesha 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. Senior Nilka Rivera Maldonado also joined the program last year and had 72 kills and 51 digs in 2019. Junior Yarianne Gonzalez transfers in from Monroe College after playing 41 matches with 656 assists and 53 aces in 2019. Junior Larissa 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 Julianne Fernandez, Jaelyn Ríos, Jazmine Downey and Sydney Whitfield.
Scouting the Golden Knights
Saint Rose was picked 11th in the NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll and went 11-17 in 2019. The Golden Knights have won 10 or more matches in nine straight years and have led the NE10 in blocks in each of the past three seasons. Cassidy Smith leads the returners with 48 kills and 58 total points in 22 matches in 2019. Juliana Venduro appeared in both matches in the spring of 2021 and had six kills and nine digs. Saint Rose will have only one senior and three juniors listed on their roster.
Scouting the Setters
Pace was picked 12th in the NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll after going 4-23 in 2019. The Setters return Brielle Jones who ranked second on the team in kills (185) and kills per set (2.01) during the 2019 season. Emily Cockell also returns after being third on the team in digs (162) and digs per set (1.98) in 2019.
Next Match
Mercy resumes action on Thursday, September 9th when they play at Adelphi at 4 p.m.
