AMHERST, N.Y. (Nov. 11, 2022) – Despite a team-high eight kills from senior Larissa Schneid (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) and a team-high 22 assists from senior Yarianne Gonzalez (Manati, P.R./Monroe College), the No. 4 seeded Mercy College volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (17-25, 15-25, 18-25) decision to No. 1 seeded Daemen University in an East Coast Conference (ECC) Volleyball Championship Semifinal on Friday night at Lumsden Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (13-7) fall in the Semifinals for the third straight season and now await a possible NCAA Tournament berth. Mercy concludes their season with a winning record for the first time since 2005. The Wildcats (19-5) advance to the Final for the fourth time in six years and will face the winners of Queens/Molloy tomorrow at 5 p.m.
Schneid added a team-high-tying 12 digs and Gonzalez recorded eight digs. Senior Selma Vulic (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) had a team-high-tying 12 digs and junior Anyelainy Vizcaino Araujo (Santo Domingo Oeste, D.R./Southwestern CC) had four kills. Senior Ayzaline Garay (San Juan, P.R./Bronx School of Law, Government and Justice) had eight digs and senior Nilka Rivera Maldonado (Bayamon, P.R./Concordia College) had three kills and seven digs.
Daemen was led by Sam Logan who had a match-high 12 kills.
Mercy held a 9-8 lead in set one after a Garay kill. The Wildcats answered with an 8-0 run to take a 16-9 lead. Back-to-back points from the Mavericks made it 16-11, but the hosts ensued with a 5-1 run to increase their lead to 21-12. Mercy later cut the deficit to 24-17, but a service error gave the Wildcats a 25-17 set one win.
The second set was tied at 7-7 before Daemen scored four of the next five points to take an 11-8 lead. The Wildcats later held a 13-10 lead before they went on a 9-3 run to increase their lead to 22-13. Daemen built the lead to 10, 24-14, and held on for the 25-15 set two win.
Mercy took a 7-3 lead in set three. However, the hosts stormed back on a 10-1 run to take a 13-8 lead. A Julia Pomerleau (Portland, Maine/University of Southern Maine) kill made it 13-9, but the Wildcats went on a 4-1 spurt to build the lead to seven, 17-10. The Mavericks continued to battle and cut the Daemen lead to three, 21-18, late in the set. The Wildcats answered by scoring the set's final four points to win the set and match.
Mercy hit .055 with 25 kills, 52 digs, two blocks and five aces. Daemen hit .241 with 43 kills, 68 digs, six blocks and eight aces.
