ORANGEBURG, N.Y. (Sept. 15, 2023) – Powered by double-digit kills from senior Larissa Schneid (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) and junior Anyelainy Vizcaino (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Southwestern CC), the Mercy University volleyball team improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2001 with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-14) win at Dominican University on Friday night.
The Mavericks (5-0) start 5-0 for the first time since 2001 and defeat the Chargers (1-8) for the seventh straight time.
Schneid had a match-high 11 kills and a match-high-tying nine digs. Vizcaino had 10 kills and graduate student Julia Pomerleau (Portland, Maine/University of Southern Maine) had nine kills on .467 hitting. Senior Yarianne Gonzalez (Manati, Puerto Rico/Monroe College) had a match-high 32 assists with five digs and senior Ayzaline Garay (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Bronx School of Law, Government and Justice) had eight kills and eight digs. Junior Aitza Cruz (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico/Polk State College) added a match-high-tying nine digs.
Dominican was led by Kaitlyn Carr who had a team-high nine kills.
The Chargers held a 4-3 lead in set one before Mercy scored three straight points, finished off by a Schneid kill, to take a 6-4 lead. Dominican battled back and tied the set at 8-8 before three consecutive points from the Mavericks gave Mercy an 11-8 lead after a Pomerleau kill. The Chargers rallied again and tied the set again at 15-15. Back-to-back kills from Vizcaino and freshman Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) made it 17-15 and a Schneid and Illes-Hair block gave Mercy an 18-15 lead. A Schneid kill increased the Mavericks lead to 19-15 after a Charger timeout. Dominican responded by cutting Mercy's lead to one, 24-23, late in the set. However, a Schneid kill gave the Mavericks the 25-23 set one win.
Dominican jumped out to a 6-2 lead in set two and held an 8-4 lead. Mercy scored the next six points, capped off by a Gonzalez kill, to give the Mavericks a 10-8 lead, forcing a Charger timeout. Dominican scored the next two points to tie the set at 10-10 before two kills from both Garay and Pomerleau gave Mercy a 14-10 lead. The Chargers later cut the Mercy lead to 15-12 before two straight Maverick points made it 17-12. Following a Dominican timeout, the hosts went on an 8-2 run to take a 20-19 lead. Mercy netted the next two points to retake the lead at 21-20 before the Chargers scored two more points to take the lead back at 22-21. Mercy got the lead back at 23-22 after a Dominican attack error before a Maverick service error tied the set again at 23-23. A block by Garay and a Dominican ball handling error gave Mercy the second set, 25-23.
The Chargers took a 2-1 lead in set three before Mercy went on a 9-1 run to take a 10-3 lead after a Vizcaino and Illes-Hair block. Dominican later made it 11-5 before the Mavericks netted the next four points to take a 15-5 lead after back-to-back kills from Garay. The Chargers cut the Mercy lead to six, 17-11, but the Mavericks ensued with five unanswered points to build a 22-11 lead. Mercy cruised the rest of the set and Pomerleau finished off the match with a kill to give the Mavericks the 25-14 set three win and the match in three sets.
Mercy hit .308 with 43 kills, 33 digs, six blocks and five aces. Dominican hit .118 with 28 kills, 24 digs, six blocks and seven aces.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, September 20th when they play at Adelphi at 7 p.m.
