DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Nov. 16, 2023) – The No. 3 seeded Mercy University volleyball team faces No. 2 seeded Molloy University in an ECC Volleyball Championship Semifinal on Friday, November 17th at Daemen University at 7:30 p.m. The winner of Friday's match will face the winner of No. 1 Daemen/No. 4 Queens in the Final on Saturday, November 18th at 5 p.m. at Daemen University.
Who, When and Where
Semifinal
Date/Time: Friday, November 17th 7:30 p.m.
Records: #3 Mercy (14-7, 7-5 ECC), #2 Molloy (13-13, 8-4 ECC)
Location: Amherst, N.Y. (Daemen University)
Final
Date/Time: Saturday, November 18th 5 p.m.
Records: Mercy/Molloy vs. Daemen/Queens
Location: Amherst, N.Y. (Daemen University)
Tickets
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
Last Meeting vs. Molloy
Mercy dropped a 3-0 decision to Molloy on October 25, 2023.
Last Meeting vs. Daemen
Mercy dropped a 3-1 decision to Daemen on October 21, 2023.
Last Meeting vs. Queens
Mercy earned a 3-0 win over Queens on October 29, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
The Mavericks earned a 3-0 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in their last match 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 276 kills and is second in the ECC with 3.78 kills per set. She is also second on the team with 216 digs and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll eight times. Senior Ayzaline Garay is fifth on the team with 78 kills and is fourth on the team with 106 digs. Gonzalez has a team-high 666 assists and leads the ECC with 9.94 assists per set. Gonzalez was named ECC Setter of the Week on October 16th and November 13th and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll five times. Pomerleau is hitting an ECC-best .393 with 170 kills and a team-high 55 blocks. Junior Aitza Cruz leads the team with 217 digs. Schneid was named ECC Player of the Week, Gonzalez was tabbed Setter of the Year and Pomerleau was named Second Team All-ECC with the All-Conference teams coming out on Thursday. Mercy is making their fourth straight ECC Championship appearance after posting their best overall record since 2005. The Mavericks will be looking to win their first ECC Championship since 2001. Mercy will be looking to make the Final for the first time since 2005. The Mavericks have won the Championship three times (1999, 2000 and 2001) in program history. Mercy currently sits at No. 6 in the latest NCAA Regional Rankings released on Wednesday. The Mavericks are 10-24 in their last 34 matches against Molloy and have won four of the last six meetings. Mercy is 3-18 all-time against Daemen and have dropped seven straight meetings. The Mavericks have never won at Daemen. Mercy is 13-23 in their last 36 matches against Queens but have won nine of the last 11 meetings.
Scouting the Lions
Molloy is coming off a 3-1 win over Queens on November 10th. The Lions were picked in a tie for second in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 16-12 last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Molloy is making their conference-high sixth straight Championship appearance and are looking to win their third championship in five seasons after winning in 2017 and 2019. The Lions are led by First Team All-ECC selection senior Kiarra Roth who is second in the ECC with 335 kills and has a team-high 254 digs. Roberta Monticelli is second on the team with 173 kills and First Team All-ECC honoree Chye Davis has 161 kills and a team-high 67 blocks. Mariana Donado Yepes has 774 assists and Aria Miller has 228 digs.
Scouting the Wildcats
Daemen is coming off a 3-0 win over D'Youville on November 9th for their sixth straight win. The Wildcats were picked first in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 20-6 last season. Daemen is the back-to-back defending ECC Champions and have won 35 straight ECC regular season matches, dating back to 2019. The Wildcats are hosting the tournament as the top seed for the third straight season. Daemen has participated in the NCAA Tournament in four of the last six years. The Wildcats are led by two-time ECC Player of the Week and six-time Rookie of the Week Charlotte Koerber who leads the team with 287 kills and is second with 237 digs. She was named ECC Rookie of the Year on Thursday. One-time ECC Player of the Week Giselle Giraud has 265 kills with a .358 hitting percentage and has 41 blocks. ECC Preseason Player of the Year and three-time Player of the Week Maggie Burns has 206 kills and 205 digs. Five-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week and ECC Libero of the Year Jasmine Brundage has an ECC-best 441 digs and 5.01 digs per set. Two-time ECC Setter of the Week Dunja Masic has a team-high 592 assists and Olivia Alessi has 389 assists. Brundage, Burns, Giraud and Koerber were named First Team All-ECC and Masic was tabbed Second Team All-ECC.
Scouting the Knights
Queens is coming off a 3-1 loss to Molloy on November 10th. The Knights were picked fourth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 12-13 last season. Queens is making their second straight ECC Championship appearance and third since 2008. The Knights will look for its second title in program history, having won the tournament once, back in 2003. Queens is led by two-time ECC Player of the Week Kendall Conrad who has a team-high 300 kills with 184 digs and 36 blocks. One-Time ECC Player of the Week Christina Franco is second on the team with 228 kills and 268 digs and five-time ECC Setter of the Week Despina Boudouris has a team-high 822 assists with 206 digs. One-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week Sarah Munn has a team-high 355 digs. Conrad, Franco and Boudouris all were named Second Team All-ECC on Thursday.
