SPARKILL, N.Y. (Oct. 14, 2023) – Powered by a team-high 16 kills from graduate student Julia Pomerleau (Portland, Maine/University of Southern Maine) and a double-double from senior Larissa Schneid (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Iowa Western CC), the Mercy University volleyball team earned a 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-15, 25-21) win over ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday afternoon at Aquinas Hall Gym.
The Mavericks (9-3, 4-2 ECC) have won two matches in a row and are off to their best 12-match start since starting 10-2 in 2005. The Spartans (3-9, 1-5 ECC) have dropped two matches in a row.
Pomerleau had a team-high 16 kills on .560 hitting and four blocks and Schneid had 11 kills and a team-high 14 digs. Senior Tanializ Rivera (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Concordia College) added 10 kills and junior Aitza Cruz (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico/Polk State College) and senior Ayzaline Garay (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Bronx School of Law, Government and Justice) both had 10 digs. Senior Yarianne Gonzalez (Manati, Puerto Rico/Monroe College) had a match-high 47 assists and recorded her 2000th career assist as a Maverick. Gonzalez now has 2,029 career assists as a Maverick becoming the sixth setter in school history to reach the mark. Freshman Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) and junior Anyelainy Vizcaino (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Southwestern CC) both added seven kills.
St. Thomas Aquinas was led by Jaizahir Marrero-George who had a match-high 18 kills.
The Mavericks scored the first two points of set one and later held an 8-4 lead after a Schneid kill. A Mercy service error made it 8-5 before the Mavericks recorded five straight points to take a 13-5 lead. A Mercy attack error made it 13-6, but the Mavericks rattled off a 5-0 spurt to build an 18-6 lead after a Vizcaino kill. Mercy later held a 23-13 lead after a Rivera kill before back-to-back Spartan points made it 23-15. A kill from Gonzalez and a Spartan attack error gave Mercy the first set, 25-15.
Mercy took a 3-0 lead in set two after a kill from Pomerleau and two kills from Schneid. The Spartans rallied with a 9-4 run to take a 9-7 lead. St. Thomas Aquinas later held a 12-11 lead before three straight points from the Mavericks gave Mercy a 14-12 lead after a Schneid kill. The Mavericks later held a 20-18 lead after back-to-back kills from Pomerleau. Mercy increased their lead to three, 22-19, late in the set. However, the Spartans closed the set on a 6-1 run to take the second set, 25-23.
The Mavericks built a 6-1 lead in set three after a Pomerleau block. Mercy later took an 11-4 lead after an Illes-Hair kill. The Spartans cut the Mavericks lead to five, 16-11, but Mercy scored four of the next five points to take a 20-12 lead. Back-to-back St. Thomas Aquinas points made it 20-14, but the Mavericks closed the set on a 5-1 run to take the third set, 25-15, after a Rivera and Pomerleau block.
Mercy jumped out to a 6-3 lead in set four after a Rivera kill. A Mercy service error made it 6-4 before the Mavericks netted four straight points to take a 10-4 lead. The Spartans rallied with a 7-2 run to cut Mercy's lead to one, 12-11. The Mavericks stormed back on a 7-1 run, finished off by a Rivera and Illes-Hair block, to take a 19-12 lead. St. Thomas Aquinas ensued with a 9-4 run to cut Mercy's lead to two, 23-21. However, kills from Pomerleau and Schneid gave Mercy the set 25-21 and the match in four sets.
Mercy hit .405 with 60 kills, 49 digs, seven aces and seven blocks. St. Thomas Aquinas hit .143 with 44 kills, 47 digs, nine aces and two blocks.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action on Tuesday, October 17th when they play at Bentley at 7 p.m.
