DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 12, 2023) – The Mercy University volleyball team plays at ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday, October 14th at 12 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, October 14th 12 p.m.
Records: Mercy (8-3, 3-2 ECC), St. Thomas Aquinas (3-8, 1-4 ECC)
Location: Sparkill, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
First Meeting with both schools as ECC members.
Scouting the Mavericks
The Mavericks are coming off a 3-1 win over D'Youville on Sunday. Mercy went 13-7 last season and qualified for the ECC Championship for the third straight season. The Mavericks finished with their first winning record since 2005 and just missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Mercy earned an NCAA Regional Ranking during the latter part of the 2022 season and will look to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. The Mavericks were picked in a tie for second in the ECC Preseason Poll. Leading the returners for Head Coach Ana Todorovic is senior Larissa Schneid who was named First Team All-ECC last season after leading the team with 196 kills and ranking third on the team with 168 digs. Last year's ECC Co-Setter of the Year senior Yarianne Gonzalez also returns after recording a team-high 728 assists with 180 digs a year ago. Graduate student Julia Pomerleau was named Second Team All-ECC last season and returns in 2023 after hitting an impressive .364 with 167 kills and 30 blocks. Junior Anyelainy Vizcaino was tabbed All-ECC Honorable Mention last season after ranking second on the team in kills (174) and aces (29). Schneid leads the Mavericks this season with 146 kills and is third in the ECC with 3.84 kills per set. She also leads the team with 111 digs. Senior Ayzaline Garay is fourth on the team with 64 kills and is fourth on the team with 68 digs. Gonzalez has a team-high 369 assists and leads the ECC with 9.71 assists per set and Pomerleau is hitting an ECC-best .395 with 89 kills and a team-high 30 blocks. Junior Aitza Cruz is second on the team with 102 digs. Both Schneid and Gonzalez were named to the ECC Honor Roll last week. Schneid and Gonzalez have both been tabbed to the Honor Roll three times. The Mavericks rank fourth nationally in aces per set (2.39) and have started 8-3 for the second straight year. With a win, Mercy would be off to their best 12-match start since they started 10-2 in 2005.
Scouting the Spartans
St. Thomas Aquinas is coming off a 3-0 loss to Daemen on Sunday. The Spartans picked up their first ECC win on Saturday in four sets over D'Youville. St. Thomas Aquinas was picked seventh in the ECC Preseason Poll. The Spartans are led by junior Jaizahir Marrero-George who has a team-high 175 kills and an ECC-best 4.49 kills per set. Freshman Lorielys Ruiz is second on the team with 53 kills and junior Aurivette Santos Bonilla has a team-high 129 digs. Junior Lea Venghaus has a team-high 284 assists and a team-high 22 aces.
Next Match
Mercy resumes action on Tuesday, October 17th when they play at Bentley at 7 p.m.
