DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Sept. 26, 2024) – The Mercy University volleyball team plays at ECC foe Daemen University on Saturday, September 28th at 1 p.m. before playing at ECC foe D'Youville on Sunday, September 29th at 12 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, September 28th 1 p.m.
Records: Mercy (5-2, 0-0 ECC), Daemen (7-3, 0-0 ECC)
Location: Amherst, N.Y.
Date/Time: Sunday, September 29th 12 p.m.
Records: Mercy (5-2, 0-0 ECC), D'Youville (3-9, 0-0 ECC)
Location: Buffalo, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Daemen
Daemen earned a 3-1 win over Mercy on October 21, 2023.
Last Meeting vs. D'Youville
D'Youville earned a 3-2 win over Mercy on October 22, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
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 released last month. 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.
The Mavericks are coming off a 3-0 loss to Adelphi on Tuesday. Mercy was led by junior Gabriela Bieniek who had a team-high nine kills. Bieniek and Rivera Rodriguez were named to the ECC Honor Roll for the second straight week on Monday. The Mavericks have been led by Dilena who has 78 kills with 49 digs and 11 aces. Bieniek has a team-high 100 kills with 65 digs and a team-high 20 aces. Bieniek ranks second in the ECC in kills per set (4.00) and leads the ECC in aces per set (0.80). Rivera Rodriguez has a team-high 250 assists with 39 digs in seven matches and graduate student Julia Pomerleau has 51 kills and a team-high 19 blocks this season. Rivera Rodriguez is second in the ECC in assists per set (10.42). Anyelainy Vizcaino has 50 kills and senior Aitza Cruz has a team-high 96 digs. Pomerleau leads the ECC with a .467 hitting percentage. Sophomore Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes also leads the ECC with 0.94 blocks per set. Mercy looks to win their ECC opener for the fourth straight season and looks to start 2-0 in ECC play for the second straight year. The Mavericks are 3-18 all-time against Daemen and have dropped seven straight meetings to the Wildcats. Mercy last defeated Daemen in 2019 and have never won at Daemen. The Mavericks are 5-1 all-time against D'Youville.
Scouting the Wildcats
Daemen is coming off a 3-2 win over Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday for their fourth straight win. The Wildcats were picked first in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 26-6 last season, winning their third straight ECC Championship. Daemen has gone undefeated in ECC regular-season play the last three seasons and has won 35 consecutive regular-season conference matches dating back to 2019. 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 128 kills with 54 digs. Abby Ryan has 116 kills and Nahirka Malpica has 100 kills. Jasmine Brundage has a team-high 195 digs and Malpica has 112 digs. Avery Dole has dished out a team-high 279 assists and Molly Ryan has 129 assists. Amelia Armstrong has a team-high 25 blocks and Brundage has a team-high 16 aces.
Scouting the Saints
D'Youville is coming off a 3-0 loss to Charleston on Saturday. The Saints will host St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday before hosting Mercy on Sunday. D'Youville was picked sixth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 7-18 last season. The Saints have been led by Madeline O'Brien who has a team-high 117 kills. Alex Darby is second with 102 kills and 134 digs and Emma Wlostowski has a team-high 158 digs. Mitha Hatwar has a team-high 278 assists and Giselle Ramirez has a team-high 31 blocks.
Next Match
Mercy resumes action on Wednesday, October 2nd when they play at Southern Connecticut State at 7 p.m.
