RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Powered by a match-high 22 kills from senior Gabriela Bieniek (Rzeszow, Poland/Indian Hills CC) and a double-double from junior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Humacao, Puerto Rico/American International College), the Mercy University Volleyball Team earned a 3-1 (24-26, 25-13, 25-18, 25-16) win at Felician University on Friday night at Joal & Joseph Job Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (4-1) have won two matches in a row and start 4-1 for the second straight year. Mercy defeats the Golden Falcons (2-6) for the 11th straight time.
In the opening set, Felician capitalized early on errors by the Mavericks, taking a 3-0 lead within the first few plays. Mercy responded with a series of points, including a block by Bieniek to bring the score to 3-3. The teams exchanged leads throughout the set, with Mercy briefly pulling ahead 19-13 after a service ace by senior Samantha Cooney (Nyack, N.Y./Nyack). However, Felician mounted a comeback, tying the score at 24-24 after a series of Mercy attack errors. Felician closed out the set with two consecutive points, sealing a narrow 26-24 victory.
Mercy dominated the second set against Felician, starting with a strong 7-0 opening run, highlighted by two consecutive aces from sophomore Grace Dilena (New York, N.Y./Liberty University Online Academy). Bieniek was instrumental in building this lead, recording multiple kills and capitalizing on Felician's errors. Felician managed to halt the streak with a kill from Rowan Jensen, but Mercy quickly regained momentum. Rivera Rodriguez facilitated the offense with several assists, contributing to Mercy's 25-13 set victory. Despite a brief push from Felician, Mercy maintained control throughout, closing the set with a decisive 25-13 score.
In the third set, Mercy secured a dominant 25-18 victory over Felician, highlighted by a series of scoring runs and strategic plays. The set saw Bieniek contribute significantly, recording four kills, with three in a crucial stretch that helped Mercy pull ahead to 14-9. During this phase, Rivera Rodriguez consistently facilitated the offense with well-placed assists, resulting in six total assists in the set. Felician attempted to mount a comeback, narrowing the margin to 21-16. However, Mercy closed out the set with an ace from Rivera Rodriguez, and a final service error by Felician, cementing the visitor's control.
The fourth set began with Mercy taking an early 1-0 lead following a service error by Felician's Sandra Galas. Mercy capitalized on Felician's errors and established a 4-1 advantage, aided by Bieniek's kill and a block by freshman Kori Sessions (Spring, Texas/Carl Wunsche) and junior Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes (Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristo Rey). Felician's Elisia Hamilton responded with a kill, but Mercy's consistent scoring, including Dilena's service ace at 14-10, expanded their lead to 15-10. Felician managed a brief rally, closing the gap to 20-15 with a series of points, but Mercy maintained their momentum. Rodriguez Fuentes and Rivera Rodriguez continued to deliver with crucial kills, leading Mercy to a decisive 25-16 victory in the set, securing the match win.
Bieniek led Mercy with a career-high 22 kills on .421 hitting. Dilena was effective from the service line, delivering four aces, and had nine kills and 12 digs. Rivera Rodriguez facilitated the offense with a match-high 30 assists, adding 13 digs to her performance. Rodriguez Fuentes added eight kills on 14 attempts, maintaining a .500 hitting percentage and contributing defensively with three block assists. Freshman Isabella Brown (Great Neck, N.Y./John L. Miller Great Neck North) added nine digs and junior Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) had a match-high-tying four block assists.
Faith Sibert demonstrated her defensive efforts for Felician, leading the team with five total blocks, including two solo blocks, while contributing five kills and a .308 hitting percentage. Galas was a key player with 11 kills and a team-high 14 digs, adding one service ace to her performance. Jensen provided offensive support with eight kills, two solo blocks, and led in points with 11, despite a .111 hitting percentage.
Mercy hit .204 with 43 kills, 49 digs, nine aces and eight blocks. Felician hit .094 with 33 kills, 25 digs, four aces and nine blocks.
Looking ahead, the Mavericks are set to face Adelphi University on Tuesday, September 23. The match will take place at 6 p.m. in Garden City, N.Y.
