BUFFALO, N.Y. (Oct. 22, 2023) – Despite a match-high 21 kills and a team-high 21 digs from senior Larissa Schneid (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Iowa Western CC), the Mercy University volleyball team dropped a 3-2 (25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 17-25, 11-15) decision to ECC foe D'Youville University on Sunday afternoon at College Center Gym.
The Mavericks (9-6, 4-4 ECC) have dropped three matches in a row and fall to the Saints (7-14, 3-5 ECC) for the first time.
Schneid had a season-high-tying 21 kills and a season-high 21 digs. Senior Yarianne Gonzalez (Manati, Puerto Rico/Monroe College) had a match-high 50 assists with eight digs and senior Tanializ Rivera (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Concordia College) had 11 kills. Junior Anyelainy Vizcaino (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Southwestern CC) added 11 kills, four aces and six digs and junior Aitza Cruz (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico/Polk State College) had a season-high 18 digs. Freshman Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) had seven kills and graduate student Julia Pomerleau (Portland, Maine/University of Southern Maine) had six kills. Senior Ayzaline Garay (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Bronx School of Law, Government and Justice) contributed four kills and 11 digs.
D'Youville was led by Eve Musielak and Madeline O'Brien who both had a team-high 13 kills.
The Saints took a 4-1 lead in set one before Mercy went on a 5-1 run to take a 6-5 lead after a Rivera kill. D'Youville ensued with a 7-3 spurt to take a 12-9 lead and later held a 17-14 lead. The Mavericks regrouped and scored the next nine points to take a 23-17 lead. Back-to-back Saints points made it 23-19 before a Rivera kill and Illes-Hair ace gave Mercy the first set, 25-19.
Mercy jumped out to a 6-3 lead in set two after a Schneid kill. The Mavericks later held an 11-7 lead after a Rivera kill before the Saints answered with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 12-12. Mercy scored three of the next four points to take a 15-13 lead before two straight D'Youville points tied the set at 15-15. The Mavericks countered with a 5-1 spurt to take a 20-16 lead before D'Youville battled back and cut the deficit to two, 22-20. A Saints service error and bad set gave Mercy a 24-20 lead. A Maverick service error made it 24-21 before Schneid fired home a kill to give Mercy a 25-21 set two win.
The Mavericks held a 10-4 lead in set three after an Illes-Hair kill and later held a 15-8 lead after a Vizcaino kill. A Schneid kill later gave Mercy a 17-12 lead before D'Youville rattled off six straight points to take an 18-17 lead. The Mavericks scored the next two points to take the lead back at 19-18, but the Saints recorded the next five points to take a 23-19 lead. Mercy tallied four of the next five points to cut the Saints lead to one, 24-23, after a Schneid kill. However, a Mercy service error gave D'Youville the set three win, 25-23.
The Saints built a 14-7 lead in set four before Mercy rallied with a 5-1 spurt to make it 15-12 after a Garay ace. D'Youville scored the next four points to take a 19-12 lead and the Saints cruised to the 25-17 set four win to even the match at 2-2.
The Mavericks took an 8-4 lead in set five after a Vizcaino ace. Mercy later held a 9-6 lead after a Schneid kill before the Saints scored the next three points to tie the set at 9-9. A Garay kill gave Mercy a 10-9 lead before two straight points from D'Youville gave the hosts an 11-10 lead. A Rivera kill tied the set again at 11-11, but the Saints would score the final four points of the set to earn the 15-11 set five win and the match in five sets.
Mercy hit .190 with 61 kills, 80 digs, four blocks and nine aces and D'Youville hit .191 with 47 kills, 77 digs, four blocks and nine aces.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, October 25th when they host Molloy at 7 p.m.
