IMMACULATA, Pa.- The Immaculata women's volleyball team will visit Gwynedd Mercy for an Atlantic East Conference Quarterfinal round match tonight at the Griffin Complex at 7:15 p.m.

Immaculata returns to the Atlantic East Conference tournament in 2023 for their first postseason match since 2021.

How They Got Here

Immaculata finished the regular season with a 12-11 record overall, and they went 0-5 in Atlantic East Conference play, earning the sixth seed in the tournament. Immaculata dropped their season meeting with Gwynedd Mercy 3-0 on October 26^th.

Scouting Gwynedd Mercy

Gwynedd Mercy finished their season 3-2 in Atlantic East Conference play earning wins over Immaculata, Marywood, and Centenary. Gwynedd Mercy dropped their conference matches with top seeds Marymount and Neumann.

The Griffins were led offensively by Bria Purnell with 258 kills, Kate Etter with 205 kills, and Ashley Brown with 188 kills. Ayanna Gaston distributed 696 assists and had 48 service aces. Defensively, the Griffins were led by Charlotte Pugh with 326 digs and Maddie Stancil with 239 digs. Lexi Lane added 56 blocks.

Mighty Mac Notes

The Immaculata got off to their best start since 2014, winning seven of their first nine matches, and reached double figures in wins for the first time since 2015. Immaculata currently has lost their final seven matches of the season and will look to end the streak in tonight's match.

The Mighty Macs are led offensively by Mia Esposito (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford HS) with 133 kills, Ava Thorley (Downingtown, Pa. / Bishop Shanahan) with 99 kills, and Emma Hodgson (Dover, DE / Dover) with 97 kills and 31 service aces, and Calissa Araujo (Tabernacle, N.J. / Seneca) with 94 kills. Team Captain Emily Ettien (Coatesville, Pa. / Bishop Shanahan) registered 82 kills, 285 assists, and led the Atlantic East Conference with 59 service aces averaging a conference leading 0.74 per set. Lily Burnette (Swarthmore, Pa. / Cardinal O'Hara) had 42 service aces, Karissa Herman (Mullica Hill, N.J. / Clearview Regional) had 33 service aces, and Christina Lenzo (Millstone, N.J. / Notre Dame HS) had 32 service aces.

On the defensive side, Immaculata was led by Lily Burnette (Swarthmore, Pa. / Cardinal O'Hara) with 282 digs, Dinah Stabinski (Garnet Valley, Pa. / Garnet Valley) with 162 digs, and Karissa Hermann (Mullica Hill, N.J. / Clearview Regional) with 145 digs. Calissa Araujo (Tabernacle, N.J. / Seneca) registered 29 blocks, Emma Hodgson (Dover DE. / Dover) had 27 blocks, and Mia Esposito (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford HS) added 21 blocks.

History Between the Two

Immaculata leads the overall series with Gwynedd Mercy with a 10-6 record. Gwynedd Mercy has won the last four meetings including this season's meeting on October 26^th.

This will be the first time the two schools have met in post season competition.

The winner of tonight's match will advance to the Atlantic East Conference Semifinals on Thursday, November 9^th against either first seed Marymount or second seed Neumann.