Rockville Centre, NY – The volleyball team faced Mercy University this afternoon for the first time this season since the two teams last met in the NCAA East Regional Tournament. The Mavericks (14-1, 3-0 ECC) earned a straight three-set victory to remain undefeated in East Coast Conference play, dropping the Lions to 6-10 overall and 1-2 in conference action.
Mercy 25, Molloy 22
Mercy 25, Molloy 22
Mercy 25, Molloy 17
How it Happened
- The Lions came out strong in the opening set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead behind a kill from junior Isabella Rios, followed by a kill and a service ace from senior Hayden Riddle.
- Kills from senior Erin Stanley and sophomore Haven Trechter helped Molloy maintain a 7-5 advantage. Mercy responded to tie the score at 8-8 before a kill from Grace Dilena gave the Mavericks their first lead of the afternoon.
- Mercy followed with a 6-1 run to build a 17-11 lead. The Lions battled back behind kills from freshmen Kailie Girard and Peyton Douglas, along with Stanley and Trechter, cutting the deficit to 24-22. However, a kill from Stasa Stamenkovic secured the opening set for the Mavericks.
- Molloy opened the second set with consecutive points, taking advantage of a service ace and a Mercy attacking error.
- The Mavericks answered with back-to-back kills and a service ace to take a 4-3 lead. After the teams exchanged points, Mercy used an 8-2 run to establish a five-point advantage.
- The Lions continued to fight back, capitalizing on a Mercy attacking error and service error before Douglas delivered an ace to bring Molloy within two at 16-14.
- The home team steadily chipped away at the deficit, closing the gap to 20-19. Mercy responded with a kill and an ace from Dilena, followed by two kills from Stamenkovic, to claim the second set and take a 2-0 lead.
- The Mavericks carried its momentum into the third set, quickly building a 10-6 advantage. Kills from Girard and Rios brought the Lions within one, but Mercy capitalized on attacking errors from the cardinal and white and added a service ace from Aleksandra Lucic to extend its lead.
- Mercy continued to pull away, reaching match point at 24-16. Girard recorded her ninth kill of the afternoon to keep the Lions in the set, but Dilena answered with a kill to seal the three-set victory for the Mavericks.
Top Performances
- Girard led the offense with nine kills. Stanley followed with eight and added two digs and two blocks.
- Riddle recorded a team-high 16 assists to go along with three aces and three digs.
- Freshman Isabella Smith had seven digs and added one service ace.
Up Next
The Lions are back home tomorrow (Oct. 11) for more conference action against Queens College at 12:00 p.m.
