As we exit Thanksgiving week, I think it’s an appropriate time to reflect on just how great the Maverick sports community has had it so far this year.
Field hockey made the playoffs for the first time ever, the volleyball team is back in the NCAA tournament after an 18 year drought, and women’s basketball is off to their best start in half a century. The recent success within Mercy athletics has been prevalent, and the notable coaching hires made over the last few seasons are much to thank for that.
On top, Rachel Palladino and Eirik Elvestad both broke program single season records this fall, while Katie Wall is on pace to retire as a top three scorer in school history. When you take a moment to analyze the entire portrait, from coaches to players, things really aren’t too shabby around here.
Welcome to The Roundup.
There’s plenty to be thankful for if you root for the navy and gray in 2023, but as we zoom back into the picture, Mavs volleyball is on a national championship chase. After a week off to rejuvenate, the team is headed to Adelphi ready to pull off the upset.
Can’t Win ‘Em All
Women’s basketball returned home last Tuesday for their first contest inside Victory Gym after sweeping their first four games on the road. The Mavs battled Bridgeport in a back-and-forth match that featured five lead changes and a knotted up 27-27 score at the end of the first half. Mercy led by three entering the fourth quarter before throwing it in cruise control, scoring 14 points in the final frame to close it out, 51-43.
Angelina Barrera nearly had her first double-double of the year, scoring 10 points and grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. The sophomore has filled in to a starting role nicely in her second year, grabbing 6+ rebounds now in four out of six games played. Jaclyn Stanavich added 11 points with three steals to help lead Mercy to their fifth straight win.
The team was finally defeated on Sunday night in a close 67-66 battle with Goldey-Beacom. 43 combined points between Katie Wall and Stanavich wasn’t enough to knock off the Lightning, as turnovers were the difference maker in the game. Mercy coughed the ball up 19 times in this one, leading to 18 points scored by Goldey-Beacom off the mistakes alone.
Mercy has faced some difficulty early on taking care of the ball, yet it had yet to bite them on the scoreboard until their most recent game. It shows they have something on the offensive end to clean up, but if that’s the biggest problem at hand, I’d say these ladies are pretty well off.
Next up is a home contest with Post on Wednesday before ECC play begins this weekend, opening up at St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday afternoon.
Better Days Ahead For Men’s Basketball
The underwhelming start to the 2023 season continued this past week for Mercy men’s hoops, losing to Bridgeport on Tuesday night in a 17 point defeat, 97-80.
After a 48-44 halftime lead for the Knights, it was evident that a high scoring second half was upon us. Bridgeport was a little more equipped for the track meet, and they showed it in the second half as they stretched their lead beyond double digits.
From the Mavs perspective, 80 points is an exceptional offensive output that should win a lot of basketball games. Mercy had four players score 10+ points, including graduate student Garrett Kirkland who added 13 points coming off the bench.
Jayden Dewaal led the team with 21 points and 11 rebounds, notching his third consecutive double-double. The rebound category was where the Mavs were beat in this one, snagging 30 of them to the Knights’ 47. The match was played largely under the rim as both teams combined for 94 points in the paint. The second chance opportunities given up to Bridgeport was the difference maker.
Defense proceeds to be the area of vulnerability with this squad, as they’ve allowed over 80 points scored in every game so far. Chris Watts has his offense starting to hit their stride, but relying on them to distribute this output on a nightly basis is a difficult recipe for success.
Mercy will begin conference play this Saturday on the road against first place St. Thomas Aquinas. The Spartans are off to a 6-1 record thus far and will get a team coming into their building that is famished for a victory.
House Money
What a week and a half, huh?
Just 10 days ago, the Mavericks’ ECC title hopes were crushed in the semi final match against Molloy, threatening an end to a special year. Even after a remarkable regular season, the NCAA tournament was no guarantee when the team departed Daeman following the loss. The team felt what no tomorrow feels like, something you can’t take away from them.
That was until Mercy did receive that second opportunity, which came three days after their defeat. The NCAA selected the Mavs to enter the tournament as the No. 7 seed, the first appearance for the program since before these players were even in Kindergarten.
Does that create added pressure? I don’t necessarily believe so. The perception is respectably clear. Mercy is heading in to face a dominant No. 2 seed New Haven team that just cleaned up the Northeast 10 championship. The Chargers are 23-9 on the season and have only lost two sets in their last five straight wins.
It’ll be a battle of conference Player of the Years, as Larissa Schneid and New Haven’s Macy Brown will swing it out for a chance to move on. Brown erupted for 19 kills in the Chargers’ championship win over Adelphi and will be a player Ana Todorovic will want to monitor in this game.
On paper, the Mavericks are considered heavy underdogs in this one, so why not play like you have nothing to lose? The enjoyment of competing has been the fuel behind this squad’s achievements all season long. If they’re going to slay this team, the key is simple:
Enjoy the moment and have fun.
The Mavs head to Adelphi on Thursday to take on New Haven at 12pm.
