DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 16, 2023) – The Mercy University volleyball team plays at Bentley University in a non-conference match on Tuesday, October 17th at 7 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 17th 7 p.m.
Records: Mercy (9-3), Bentley (15-3)
Location: Waltham, Mass.
Last Meeting vs. Bentley
Bentley earned a 3-0 win over Mercy on October 5, 2022 at Bentley.
Scouting the Mavericks
The Mavericks are coming off a 3-1 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday. 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 157 kills and is third in the ECC with 3.74 kills per set. She also leads the team with 125 digs and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll four times. Senior Ayzaline Garay is fourth on the team with 68 kills and is fourth on the team with 78 digs. Gonzalez has a team-high 416 assists and leads the ECC with 9.90 assists per set. Gonzalez was named ECC Setter of the Week on Monday and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll three times. Pomerleau is hitting an ECC-best .417 with 105 kills and a team-high 34 blocks. She ranks No. 11 nationally in hitting percentage. Junior Aitza Cruz is second on the team with 112 digs. The Mavericks rank eighth nationally in aces per set (2.33) and are off to their best start since 2005. Mercy has dropped four straight matches to Bentley and look to defeat the Falcons for the first time since 2013.
Scouting the Falcons
Bentley is coming off a pair of 3-0 wins over Holy Family and Post on Saturday. The Falcons have won 11 matches in a row and have dropped just four sets during the streak. Bentley was picked third in the NE10 Preseason Poll after going 23-7 last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons have not lost a match to an East Region opponent this season. Bentley is led by graduate student Ingrid Murphy who has a team-high 166 kills and is second with 208 digs. Junior Rachel Vitko has 141 kills and senior Ellie Wheeler has 138 kills. Junior Jazzy Burke has a team-high 240 digs and senior Natalie Thom has a team-high 331 assists.
Next Match
Mercy resumes action on Saturday, October 21st when they play at Daemen at 12 p.m.
