NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The College of New Rochelle welcomed Mercy College, a division II program, to the Wellness Center for a non-conference match Tuesday night. Despite a spirited effort in front of a raucous crowd, CNR was unable to topple the Mavericks. After dropping set one 25-16, the Blue Angels battled tooth and nail with the visitors in sets two and three, falling narrowly in each 25-22 and 25-23.
The loss marks the first time CNR has lost at home this year, snapping a 12 match streak. With the loss the Blue Angels fall to 16-8 while Mercy notched up to 6-19 overall.
Sophomore Fabiola Padilla Rios (San Juan, PR) led CNR with 15 kills and 15 digs, while sophomore Tamara Beckford (Bronx, NY) added nine kills. Beckford cranked out seven kills in her final eight attempts on the night, including a 3-for-3 performance in the third set.
In the 2nd set, CNR made it interesting as they clawed back into the match after trailing early on. with Mercy leading 23-21, the two teams traded points before Mercy won on a service error by CNR.
In the final set, the Blue Angels looked doomed early as the Mavericks jumped out 6-1. But, behind the serve of junior Tiany Perez Diaz (Juncos, PR) CNR suddenly found itself tied 9-9. Moments later, the hosts had their first significant lead of the night at 12-9. From that point on, neither team held more than a one point lead until the final score. At 23-23, CNR made two errors to conclude the match.
Junior Melanie Ann Lopez Soto (Gurabo, PR) finished with 32 assists.
Up next, CNR will travel to the College of Mount Saint Vincent for a non-conference dual with the Dolphins. First serve is 7:00pm on Thursday night.