DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Nov. 30, 2023) – The No. 7 seeded Mercy University volleyball team faces No. 3 seeded Bentley University in the Second Round of the 2023 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship on Friday, December 1st at 5 p.m. at Adelphi University.
Who, When and Where
Second Round
Date/Time: Friday, December 1st 5 p.m.
Records: #7 Mercy (15-8), #3 Bentley (23-6)
Location: Garden City, N.Y. (Adelphi University)
Tickets
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
Ticket Prices
$10 Adults
$5 Students w/ID and Senior Citizens
$2 Children (Ages 3-12)
Children 2 and under free
Match Coverage
Live Stats
Video ($$)
Tournament Central Page
Last Meeting vs. Bentley
Bentley earned a 3-0 win over Mercy on October 17, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
The Mavericks earned a 3-1 win over No. 2 seed New Haven in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Graduate student Julia Pomerleau had a match-high 17 kills and seniors Larissa Schneid and Yarianne Gonzalez recorded double-doubles. The win was Mercy's first NCAA Tournament win since 2001. Mercy is making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005 and their sixth overall appearance in program history. The Mavericks advanced to the National Quarterfinals in 2001. Mercy is looking for their first win over Bentley since 2013. With a win on Friday, the Mavericks would play in the East Region Final on Saturday, December 2nd at 7 p.m. at Adelphi. Mercy qualified for the ECC Tournament for the fourth straight season and posted their best overall regular season record since 2005. 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. 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 307 kills and is second in the ECC with 3.79 kills per set. She also leads the team with 243 digs and was named to the ECC Honor Roll eight times. Schneid was named D2CCA Second Team All-East Region and was tabbed AVCA All-East Region Honorable Mention. Gonzalez has a team-high 754 assists and leads the ECC with 10.05 assists per set. Gonzalez was named ECC Setter of the Week on October 16th and November 13th and was named to the ECC Honor Roll five times. Pomerleau is hitting an ECC-best .408 with 196 kills and a team-high 60 blocks. Junior Aitza Cruz is second on the team with 237 digs. Schneid was named ECC Player of the Year, Gonzalez was tabbed Setter of the Year and Pomerleau was named Second Team All-ECC with the All-Conference teams coming out earlier this month.
Scouting the Falcons
Bentley earned a 3-2 win over No. 6 seed Southern New Hampshire in a First Round match on Thursday. The Falcons were led by Ingrid Murphy who had 17 kills and 18 digs in the win over the Penmen. Bentley has reached the NCAA Tournament in every season since 2019 and the Falcons hold a 7-12 record in the NCAA Tournament since the turn of the century. Bentley was picked third in the NE10 Preseason Poll and finished third in the NE10 standings this season, finishing one game behind Adelphi and New Haven. The Falcons are led by Murphy and Ellie Wheeler who were both named First Team All-NE10 this season. Murphy has a team-high 280 kills with 349 digs and Wheeler is second on the team with 258 kills. Rachel Vitko has 240 kills and Natalie Thom has a team-high 581 assists. Jazzy Burke has a team-high 422 digs.
Next Match
The winner of Friday's match will play in the East Region Final on Saturday, December 2nd at 7 p.m. at Adelphi.
