DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (July 20, 2022) – For the seventh year, Mercy College Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top-10 most memorable moments of the 2021-22 season, with all 10 sports represented.
Mercy College Athletics will release a Top-10 moment, as chosen by the athletics staff, with a recap every Wednesday and Friday for the next five weeks, culminating with the top moment from the 2021-22 athletic year being unveiled on Friday, August 5th.
No. 6 – Volleyball Makes ECC Championship for Second Straight Season
Coming in at No. 6 in our 2021-22 Top-10 Moments is volleyball who qualified for the ECC Championship for the second straight season.
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. Due to COVID-19, the Mavericks did not have a season during the 2020-21 academic year, but looked to qualify for the ECC Championship for the second straight season under first-year Head Coach Gary Preston Jr.
Mercy was picked fourth in the ECC Preseason Poll and returned four student-athletes from the 2019 team. The Mavericks also added 12 student-athletes who would see their first match action as Mavericks during the 2021 season.
Preston Jr. and the Mavericks opened their 2021 season on September 2nd with a four-set loss at Saint Rose. Nilka Rivera Maldonado, Larissa Schneid and Yarianne Gonzalez all recorded double-doubles in the match.
The next day Mercy hosted Pace in their home opener. Schneid had a match-high 16 kills and Gonzalez had a match-high 47 assists as the Mavericks earned a four-set win over the Setters. The win was the first collegiate win for Preston Jr. and Mercy won their first match over Pace since 2014. Following the season-opening matches, Gonzalez was named ECC Setter of the Week.
Mercy continued non-conference play on September 9th when they took on Adelphi. Rivera Maldonado had a match-high 15 kills and Gonzalez and Schneid each had a double-double, but it was not enough as the Panthers earned a four-set win. The Mavericks improved to 2-2 on the year the next day when they earned a straight-set win over Nyack. Schneid had a match-high 13 kills and added eight digs. Mercy ended the week with a pair of losses to Shepherd and Goldey-Beacom, falling to 2-4 on the year.
The Mavericks dropped two more matches to Southern New Hampshire and Saint Anselm on September 14th to drop to 2-6 on the year. Mercy bounced back on September 16th with a straight-set win over Lincoln to snap a four-match losing streak. Eight different Mavericks recorded a kill led by Schneid who had a match-high 10 kills, four aces and eight digs.
Mercy extended their win streak to two games on September 21st when they earned a straight-set win over Dominican. Schneid and Rivera Maldonado each had double-digit kills and Gonzalez had a match-high 32 assists in the win. The Mavericks made it three wins in a row and opened ECC play with a 3-1 win over Roberts Wesleyan on September 26th. Mercy won their ECC opener for the first time since 2005 and the ECC win was the first for Preston Jr.
The Mavericks sat at 5-6 on the year, entering the match with Stonehill on September 28th. Schneid recorded a team-high 18 kills and 19 digs, but Mercy dropped a hard-fought five-set match to the Skyhawks. The Mavericks regrouped and the next day took on a Molloy team that was the defending ECC and East Region Champions. Mercy earned a four-set win over the Lions, aided by a team-high 16 kills from Rivera Maldonado and double-doubles from Schneid and Gonzalez. The Mavericks earned their first win over Molloy since 2016 and Mercy started 2-0 in ECC play for the first time since 2005. After the week's matches, Tynesha Adams was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week.
Mercy leveled their record at 7-7 and improved to 3-0 in ECC play with a straight-set win over Queens on October 5th. Sophia Flanders had a match-high 16 digs and Stéphanie Lankhorst had a match-high nine kills as the Mavericks were off to their best 14-match start since 2005.
The Mavericks split their weekend matchups with Daemen and D'Youville to improve to 8-8 on the year and 4-1 in ECC play. Gonzalez had a double-double and Rivera Maldonado had a match-high 13 kills in the win over D'Youville on October 10th.
Mercy stepped out of conference play to play at Southern Connecticut State on October 12th. Gonzalez had a double-double, but the Mavericks ultimately fell in straight sets. The next day, the Mavericks hosted Bridgeport in an ECC matchup. Schneid had a match-high 19 kills, but Mercy fell in four sets to drop to 8-10 overall and 4-2 in ECC play.
The Mavericks suffered their third straight loss when they fell to American International on October 15th. Schneid had a team-high eight kills and Flanders had a match-high 15 digs in the straight-set loss. Mercy got back to their winning ways on October 19th when they earned a straight-set win over Caldwell, snapping a three-match losing streak. Schneid had another double-double and Gonzalez had a match-high 39 assists as Mercy improved to 9-11 on the year.
Mercy dropped to 9-12 on the year following a three-set loss to Wilmington on October 21st. Flanders had a double-double and Cristy Encarnacion had a match-high-tying eight kills in the loss. The Mavericks responded two days later with a three-set win over Roberts Wesleyan to improve to 10-12 overall and 5-2 in ECC action. Rivera Maldonado had a match-high 11 kills and Schneid had 10 kills.
On October 28th, the Mavericks honored Flanders and Adams for Senior Night and then went on to earn a straight-set win over Queens to secure their second straight ECC Championship berth. Flanders had a double-double on her Senior Night and Schneid also added a double-double. After the week was over, Schneid was named ECC Player of the Week and Selma Vulic was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week. Mercy sat at 11-12 overall and 6-2 in ECC play heading into their match at first-place Daemen.
Gonzalez recorded a double-double against Daemen but it was not enough as the Wildcats earned a straight-set win over the Mavericks. The next day the Mavericks earned a straight-set win over D'Youville to sweep the season series with the Saints. Schneid had a match-high 11 kills and five aces in the win, Gonzalez had a match-high 31 assists and Vulic had a match-high 14 digs.
The Mavericks improved to .500 once again on November 10th, earning the season sweep of Molloy with a four-set win over the Lions. Gonzalez and Schneid both had double-doubles in the win. With the win, Mercy secured their best finish in ECC play since 2005, their first win at Molloy since 2013 and the first season series sweep since 2007.
Mercy dropped a hard-fought five-set match in their regular-season finale on November 12th to Bridgeport. The Mavericks ended the regular season 13-14 overall and 8-4 in ECC play. Mercy finished with their highest winning percentage overall and in ECC play since 2005. The Mavericks secured the No. 3 seed in the following week's ECC Championship where they would face Bridgeport in a Semifinal matchup on November 19th at Daemen.
Prior to their ECC Championship matchup against Bridgeport, Schneid, Gonzalez, and Adams were named ECC All-Conference for the first time. Schneid and Gonzalez were named First Team All-ECC and Adams was tabbed to the Second Team.
Mercy was facing a Bridgeport team in the Semifinals that they had just battled to five sets the week before. The Purple Knights earned a 25-16 win in set one to take a 1-0 lead. The second set was tied at 10-10 before Mercy rattled off three straight points to take a 13-10 lead after a Rivera Maldonado kill. The set was later tied at 23-23 before Bridgeport took a 24-23 lead and was one point away from taking the set. Back-to-back kills from Adams and Schneid gave Mercy a 25-24 lead. A bad set evened the set at 25-25 before a service error and Schneid block gave Mercy a 27-25 set two win.
Bridgeport would win the final two sets to earn the win, ending the Mavericks season in the ECC Championship Semifinals for the second straight season. Mercy ended the season with a 13-15 record, which was their highest winning percentage since 2005.
Schneid added to her award collection in July as she was named the ECC volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Preston Jr. departed the team during the spring and Ana Todorovic was named Head Coach on June 24th. She joins the team from CCNY where she served as Head Men's Volleyball Coach since 2015. The future looks bright with several student-athletes returning for the 2022 season and with the addition of Todorovic.
Schedule for the Top-10 Moments of the 2021-22 Season
Every Wednesday and Friday for the next five weeks, the Mercy College Athletic Department will release the Top-10 moments one at a time beginning with the No. 10 moment on Wednesday, July 6th. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Friday, August 5th.
No. 1 - August 5th
No. 2 - August 3rd
No. 3 - July 29th
No. 4 - July 27th
No. 5 - July 22nd
No. 6 - July 20th
No. 7 - Softball Makes ECC Championship for Second Straight Year
No. 8 - Men's Soccer Nearly Qualifies for ECC Championship
No. 9 - Field Hockey Wins at No. 9 American International
No. 10 – Men's Basketball Sweeps Molloy for First Time Since 2005
