DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Nov. 19, 2024) – The No. 3 seeded Mercy University volleyball team faces No. 2 seeded Queens College in an ECC Volleyball Championship Semifinal on Friday, November 22nd at Daemen University at 7:30 p.m. The winner of Friday's match will face the winner of No. 1 Daemen/No. 4 D'Youville in the Final on Saturday, November 23rd at 5 p.m. at Daemen University.

Who, When and Where

Semifinal

Date/Time: Friday, November 22nd 7:30 p.m.

Records: #3 Mercy (15-9, 8-4 ECC), #2 Queens (19-10, 9-3 ECC)

Location: Amherst, N.Y. (Daemen University)

Final

Date/Time: Saturday, November 23rd 5 p.m.

Records: Mercy/Queens vs. Daemen (17-7, 9-3 ECC)/D'Youville (11-15, 7-5 ECC)

Location: Amherst, N.Y. (Daemen University)

Tickets

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Last Meeting vs. Queens

Mercy earned a 3-1 win over Queens on November 16, 2024.

Last Meeting vs. Daemen

Mercy earned a 3-1 win over Daemen on November 9, 2024.

Last Meeting vs. D'Youville

Mercy earned a 3-0 win over D'Youville on November 10, 2024.

Scouting the Mavericks

The Mavericks earned a 3-1 win over Queens on Saturday in their last match. Mercy went 15-9 last season, earning their first NCAA Tournament win since 2001 in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005. The Mavericks qualified for the ECC Championship for the fourth straight season and finished with their most wins in a season since 2005. Third-year head coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks were picked second in the ECC Preseason Poll. Returning for the Mavericks is graduate student Julia Pomerleau who has been named Second Team All-ECC each of the last two seasons. Pomerleau started all 24 matches last season and had 205 kills, 63 blocks and hit .401. She led the team in blocks and hitting percentage and was second in kills. The graduate student ranked 10th nationally in hitting percentage and was third in the ECC in blocks. Also returning is senior Anyelainy Vizcaino who was named All-ECC Honorable Mention in 2022. Vizcaino had 200 kills, 32 aces, 95 digs and 23 blocks in 2023. She led the team in aces and was third in kills. Senior Aitza Cruz is also back in the fold after being named ECC Defensive Player of the Week once last year. Cruz had 247 digs a year ago, ranking second on the team. Sophomore Mia Illes-Hair is also back after being named ECC Rookie of the Week once last season. She recorded 78 kills, 50 blocks, 15 aces and hit .294. Junior Samantha Cooney returns after posting 119 digs and sophomore Alanis Calderon is back after posting 81 assists, 19 aces and 36 digs in 2023.

Mercy is making their fifth straight ECC Championship appearance. The Mavericks will look 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. 7 in the latest NCAA Regional Rankings released last week and look to make their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Mavericks are 11-2 in their last 13 matches against Queens and swept the season series with the Knights this year. Mercy split the season series with Daemen this year, defeating the Wildcats for the first time since 2019. The Mavericks are 0-12 all-time against Daemen on the road. Mercy split the season series with D'Youville this season and is 6-2 all-time against the Saints. Junior Gabriela Bieniek was named ECC Player of the Week on Monday, sophomore Adriana Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed Setter of the Week and senior Aitza Cruz and graduate student Julia Pomerleau were tabbed to the Honor Roll. Freshman Grace Dilena was named ECC Player and Rookie of the Week last week, Rivera Rodriguez was named Setter of the Week, Cruz was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week and Bieniek and graduate student Julia Pomerleau were tabbed to the Honor Roll. Dilena was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the third time on November 4th and Rivera Rodriguez and Pomerleau were tabbed to the Honor Roll. Rivera Rodriguez was named ECC Setter of the Week on October 28th and senior Aitza Cruz, Bieniek and Dilena were tabbed to the Honor Roll. Dilena was named ECC Player and Rookie of the Week on October 21st and Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed Setter of the Week. Bieniek and Pomerleau were named to the Honor Roll. Bieniek was named ECC Co-Player of the Week, Pomerleau was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week, Rivera Rodriguez was named Setter of the Week and Dilena was named Rookie of the Week on October 14th. Bieniek and Rivera Rodriguez were named to the ECC Honor Roll for the third straight week on October 7th. The Mavericks have been led by Dilena who has 286 kills with 182 digs and 39 aces. Bieniek has a team-high 294 kills with 195 digs and a team-high 45 aces. Bieniek ranks third in the ECC in kills per set (3.46). Rivera Rodriguez has a team-high 908 assists with 161 digs in 24 matches and graduate student Julia Pomerleau has 225 kills and a team-high 80 blocks this season. Rivera Rodriguez leads the ECC in assists per set (10.20). Anyelainy Vizcaino has 107 kills and senior Aitza Cruz has a team-high 233 digs. Pomerleau leads the ECC with a .414 hitting percentage. With a win Mercy would have their most wins in a season since 2005.

Scouting the Knights

Queens is coming off a 3-1 loss at Mercy on Saturday. Queens earned a share of the ECC Regular Season Championship after going 9-3 in ECC play. The Knights earned the ECC Regular Season Championship for the first time since 2004. Queens is looking to win their first ECC Championship since 2003. The Knights are ranked sixth in the latest NCAA East Regional Rankings released last week. Queens is led by three-time ECC Player of the Week and six-time Rookie of the Week Madi Hathaway who has 252 kills, 233 digs and 317 assists. Kendall Conrad has a team-high 273 kills with 61 blocks and one-time ECC Player of the Week Christina Franco has 206 kills and 324 digs. One-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week Sarah Munn has a team-high 492 digs and Lindsay Osterhoudt has a team-high 90 blocks. Despina Boudouris has a team-high 677 assists.

Scouting the Wildcats

Daemen is coming off a 3-0 win over Roberts Wesleyan on November 13th. The Wildcats are hosting the ECC Championship for the fourth straight year. The three-time defending champion Wildcats have won six of their last seven matches heading into Friday's semifinal. Daemen was ranked second in the NCAA Regional Rankings released last week. The Wildcats have participated in the NCAA Tournament in five of the last seven years. Daemen has been led by Giselle Giraud who has a team-high 278 kills. Abby Ryan has 204 kills and Nahirka Malpica has 241 kills. Jasmine Brundage has a team-high 407 digs and Malpica has 250 digs. Avery Dole has dished out a team-high 605 assists and Molly Ryan has 333 assists. Amelia Armstrong has a team-high 58 blocks and Dole has a team-high 45 aces.

Scouting the Saints

D'Youville is coming off a 3-1 win at Roberts Wesleyan on November 15th. The Saints are making their first-ever appearance in the ECC Championship. The Saints have been led by Madeline O'Brien who has 253 kills. Alex Darby has a team-high 258 kills with 293 digs and Emma Wlostowski has a team-high 397 digs. Mitha Hatwar has a team-high 747 assists and Giselle Ramirez has a team-high 87 blocks.