DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Nov. 5, 2022) – Despite a team-high 14 kills and 21 digs from senior Larissa Schneid (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Iowa Western CC), the Mercy College volleyball team dropped a hard-fought 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 20-25, 26-24, 12-15) decision to first-place Daemen University on Saturday afternoon at Victory Gymnasium.

The Mavericks (12-6, 5-4 ECC) drop the season series to the regionally-ranked Wildcats (17-5, 10-0 ECC). Mercy becomes the first ECC school to take Daemen to five sets this season.

Schneid had a team-high 14 kills and 21 digs and senior Nilka Rivera Maldonado (Bayamon, P.R./Concordia College) had 10 kills and 13 digs. Junior Anyelainy Vizcaino Araujo (Santo Domingo Oeste, D.R./Southwestern CC) had 10 kills and 10 digs and senior Yarianne Gonzalez (Manati, P.R./Monroe College) had 41 assists and nine digs. Senior Stéphanie Lankhorst (Apeldoorn, Netherlands/ Koninklijke Scholengemeenschap Apeldoorn) had nine kills and senior Julia Pomerleau (Portland, Maine/University of Southern Maine) had nine kills. Senior Selma Vulic (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) added 13 digs.

Daemen was led by Maggie Burns who had a match-high 17 kills.

Mercy jumped out to a 4-0 lead in set one and later held a 7-3 lead. Daemen scored the next four points to tie the set at 7-7. The Mavericks scored the following four points to take the lead back at 11-7. The Wildcats later cut the Mercy lead to two, 13-11, but the Mavericks rallied with a 5-2 run to take an 18-13 lead after an Ayzaline Garay (San Juan, P.R./Bronx School of Law, Government and Justice) kill. The Wildcats continued to battle and cut the Mercy lead to one, 24-23, but a block from Schneid gave the Mavericks a 25-23 set one win.

Daemen took a 7-3 lead in set two before Mercy stormed back on a 7-3 run to tie the set at 10-10. The score was later tied at 11-11 before Daemen scored two consecutive points to take a 13-11 lead. A Pomerleau kill later cut the Wildcats lead to one, 15-14. However, Daemen ended the set on a 10-4 run to take the second set, 25-18.

Mercy built a 9-6 lead in set two after a Lankhorst kill. The Wildcats answered with an 8-2 run to take a 14-11 lead. A Gonzalez kill made it 14-12, but Daemen went on a 6-2 spurt to take a 20-14 lead. The Mavericks continued to battle and scored the next six points to tie the set at 20-20 after back-to-back kills from Rivera Maldonado. Daemen ended the set with five unanswered points to take the third set, 25-20.

Mercy held a 12-6 lead in set four and later held a 14-9 lead after a Lankhorst kill. The Mavericks maintained a 23-18 lead late in the set before the Wildcats scored five straight points to tie the set at 23-23. A kill from Rivera Maldonado gave Mercy a 24-23 lead before Daemen scored to make it 24-24. Back-to-back kills from Lankhorst and Rivera Maldonado gave the Mavericks a 26-24 set four win to even the match at 2-2.

Daemen maintained an 11-9 lead in the fifth set before Mercy rallied with three straight points, capped off by a Schneid kill, to take a 12-11 lead. The Wildcats closed out the set with four straight points to take the set, 15-12, and win the match in five sets.

Mercy hit .101 with 55 kills, 79 digs, eight aces and three blocks. Daemen hit .194 with 52 kills, 77 digs, six blocks and 11 aces.

Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they host D'Youville at 11 a.m.