AMHERST, N.Y. (Nov. 17, 2023) – Despite a double-double from senior Larissa Schneid (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Iowa Western CC), a team-high 40 assists from senior Yarianne Gonzalez (Manati, Puerto Rico/Monroe College) and a team-high 13 digs from sophomore Samantha Cooney (Nyack, N.Y./Nyack), the No. 3 seeded Mercy University volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (20-25, 25-13, 17-25, 22-25) decision to No. 2 seeded Molloy University in an ECC Volleyball Championship Semifinal on Friday night at Lumsden Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (14-8) see their five-match winning streak come to an end and fall in the Semifinals for the fourth straight season. Mercy now awaits a possible NCAA Tournament berth. The Lions (14-13) advance to tomorrow's Final where they will face No. 1 seed Daemen at 5 p.m.
Schneid had a match-high-tying 16 kills with 12 digs and Gonzalez added nine digs. Cooney had a career-high 13 digs and junior Anyelainy Vizcaino (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Southwestern CC) had 13 kills. Graduate student Julia Pomerleau (Portland, Maine/University of Southern Maine) recorded nine kills and junior Aitza Cruz (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico/Polk State College) had eight digs. Freshman Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) added four kills and four blocks.
Molloy was led by Chye Davis who had a match-high-tying 16 kills. Mariana Donado Yepes had a match-high 41 assists and Aria Miller had a match-high 17 digs.
The Lions scored the first four points of the opening set to take a 4-0 lead. Molloy later held a 10-5 lead before the Mavericks scored six straight points to take an 11-10 lead after a Schneid ace. Mercy later held an 18-16 lead after a Schneid kill before the Lions went on a 5-0 run to take a 21-18 lead. A Schneid kill made it 21-19, but Molloy closed the set with four of the final five points to take the set 25-20.
A Schneid kill gave Mercy a 1-0 lead in set two before Molloy scored three straight points to take a 3-1 lead. The Lions later held a 5-4 lead before four straight points from the Mavericks gave Mercy an 8-5 lead after a Pomerleau block. The Lions made it 8-7 after two straight points, but Mercy scored four unanswered to take a 12-7 lead after a Vizcaino block. Molloy got within three, 12-9, before the Mavericks rattled off a 10-1 run to increase their lead to 12, 22-10. The Lions cut Mercy's lead to 24-13 before a Schneid kill gave Mercy the set, 25-13, and tied the match at 1-1.
Mercy built a 3-1 lead in set three and later led 5-4 before the Lions went on a 7-2 run to take an 11-7 lead. The Mavericks later cut the deficit to three, 14-11, but Molloy ensued with seven consecutive points to take a 21-11 lead. Mercy followed with three straight points to make it 21-14 before Molloy netted three of the next four points to take a 24-15 lead. A kill from Illes-Hair and a Molloy attack error made it 24-17, but a Donado Yepes kill gave the Lions the 25-17 set three win.
The Lions jumped out to a 6-2 lead in set four and later held a 12-8 lead before a kill from Pomerleau and two aces from Vizcaino got the Mavericks within one, 12-11. Molloy increased the lead back to three, 18-15, before Mercy scored three straight points to tie the set at 18-18 after a freshman Alanis Calderon (Canovanas, Puerto Rico/CIEM Private School) ace. Back-to-back Molloy points made it 20-18 before the Mavericks stormed back on a 4-2 spurt to tie the set again at 22-22 after a Vizcaino kill. The Lions would close the set with three straight points to take the set, 25-22, and the match in four sets.
Mercy hit .143 with 45 kills, 52 digs, nine blocks and six aces. Molloy hit .154 with 51 kills, 64 digs, six blocks and six aces.
