FLUSHING, N.Y. (Oct. 29, 2022) – Despite a match-high 19 kills from senior Larissa Schneid, the Mercy College volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 18-25, 23-25) decision to ECC foe Queens College on Saturday afternoon at Fitzgerald Gymnasium.

The Mavericks (12-5, 5-3 ECC) see their four-match winning streak come to an end, while the Knights (11-11, 5-3 ECC) defeat Mercy for the first time since 2017.

Schneid had a match-high 19 kills with a team-high 18 digs. Senior Yarianne Gonzalez also had a double-double with 41 assists and 13 digs. Senior Nilka Rivera Maldonado had 10 kills and eight digs and junior Anyelainy Vizcaino Araujo had nine kills. Senior Julia Pomerleau had eight kills and senior Selma Vulic had eight digs.

Queens was led by Kendall Conrad who had a team-high 16 kills.

The opening set was tied at 11-11 after a Vizcaino Araujo kill. Queens scored the next five points to take a 16-11 lead. Mercy answered with a 5-1 run to cut the deficit to one, 17-16, after a Rivera Maldonado kill. The Mavericks later made the score 18-17 before the Knights rallied with four straight points to take a 22-17 lead. Mercy battled back with three straight points to make it 22-20, but three consecutive Queens points gave the Knights the opening set, 25-20.

Queens took an 11-6 lead in set two and later held a 17-13 lead. Mercy answered with a 6-1 run, capped off by a Schneid kill, to take a 19-18 lead. Queens scored the next point to tie the set at 19-19. The score would be tied four more times with the last coming at 23-23. A Knight attack error and Schneid kill gave Mercy the second set, 25-23.

Queens jumped out to a 5-0 lead in set three and later held a 13-7 lead. Mercy scored the next three points to make it 13-10 before the Knights rallied with a 5-1 run to take an 18-11 lead. A Schneid kill later cut the deficit to four, 21-17, but Queens closed the set on a 4-1 run to take the set, 25-18.

The Knights built a 14-10 lead in set four before Mercy went on an 8-3 run, finished off by a Rivera Maldonado kill, to take an 18-17 lead. Queens ensued with a 5-2 spurt to retake the lead at 22-20. Back-to-back kills from Schneid tied the set again at 22-22. The teams traded points to make it 23-23. However, back-to-back points from the Knights gave Queens the set and match.

Mercy hit .128 with 53 kills, 71 digs, three blocks and five aces. Queens hit .258 with 57 kills, 69 digs, 15 blocks and six aces.

Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, November 5th when they host Daemen at 12 p.m.