ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Powered by a match-high 32 assists from senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Humacao, Puerto Rico/American International College) and a match-high 15 kills from junior Grace Dilena (New York, N.Y./Liberty University Online Academy), the Mercy University Women's Volleyball Team earned a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-17) win at ECC foe Molloy University on Saturday afternoon at Bob Houlihan Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (14-1, 3-0 ECC) have won six matches in a row and continue their best start since 2001. Mercy starts 3-0 in ECC play for the second straight year and defeat the Lions (6-10, 1-2 ECC) for the fifth straight time.
Molloy scored the first three points of set one and later held a 7-5 lead before Mercy went on a 12-4 run to take a 17-11 lead after a junior Stasa Stamenkovic (Bor, Serbia/Barton CC) kill. The Lions later cut the Mavericks' lead to three, 20-17, before Mercy scored three of the next four points to take a 23-18 lead after a Dilena kill. Molloy scored four of the next five points to make it 24-22 before a Stamenkovic kill gave Mercy the 25-22 set-one win.
The Lions held an 8-6 lead in set two before the Mavericks rallied with an 8-1 run to take a 14-9 lead. A junior Aleksandra Lucic (Belgrade, Serbia/Florida SouthWestern State College/AIC) ace later gave Mercy an 18-14 lead before Molloy stormed back on a 7-3 run to tie the set at 21-21. Kills from Dilena and Stamenkovic and an ace from Dilena gave Mercy a 24-21 lead. Following a Molloy block, Stamenkovic ended the set with a kill, giving the Mavericks the 25-22 set-two win.
Molloy held an early 3-1 lead in set three before Mercy scored four points in a row to take a 5-3 lead after a senior Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes (Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristo Rey) block. The Mavericks later held a 10-6 lead after a Dilena and senior Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) block before Molloy followed with a 5-2 spurt to make it 12-11 in favor of Mercy. The Mavericks answered with a 9-3 run to take a 21-14 lead after a Dilena kill and a Dilena kill later finished off the 25-17 set-three win and the sweep.
Mercy was led by Rivera Rodriguez who had a match-high 32 assists with four digs. Dilena had a match-high 15 kills on .520 hitting with six digs and three aces and Stamenkovic had 12 kills on .429 hitting with seven digs. Sophomore Isabella Brown (New York, N.Y./Great Neck North) had a match-high nine digs and Lucic had five kills, four digs and three aces. Illes-Hair had five kills with five blocks (1 solo, 4 assists) and Rodriguez Fuentes contributed two kills and four blocks (2 solo, 2 assists).
Molloy was led by Kailie Girard who had a team-high nine kills.
Mercy hit .368 with 39 kills, 32 digs, seven aces and nine blocks. Molloy hit .256 with 35 kills, 22 digs, seven aces and three blocks.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at STAC at 12 p.m.
