DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Powered by a match-high 17 kills from junior Grace Dilena (New York, N.Y./Liberty University Online Academy), a match-high 30 assists from senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Humacao, Puerto Rico/American International College) and a match-high 11 digs from sophomore Isabella Brown (New York, N.Y./Great Neck North), the Mercy University Women's Volleyball Team earned a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-13) Senior Day win over ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Sunday afternoon to secure their second straight ECC Regular Season Championship.
In a ceremony prior to the match, Mercy honored seniors Adriana Rivera Rodriguez, Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) and Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes (Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristo Rey) for their contributions to the program.
The Mavericks (22-1, 10-0 ECC) have won 14 matches in a row and sweep the season series with the Spartans (9-13, 4-6 ECC). Mercy has secured their second straight ECC Regular Season Championship and the sixth in program history. The Mavericks match their win total from last year and will host the ECC Women's Volleyball Championship on November 13th and 14th.
STAC took a 4-1 lead in set one before Mercy scored five points in a row to take a 6-4 lead. A Dilena kill and a Spartan attack error later gave the Mavericks a 14-8 lead. STAC later cut Mercy's lead to two, 18-16, before the Mavericks scored the next five points to take a 23-16 lead after a Rodriguez Fuentes ace. A Dilena kill later gave Mercy a 25-19 set-one win.
The second set was tied at 11-11 before Mercy scored four unanswered points to take a 15-11 lead after a junior Stasa Stamenkovic (Bor, Serbia/Barton CC) ace. STAC later got within one, 17-16, before the Mavericks went on a 5-0 spurt to take a 22-16 lead after an Illes-Hair and junior Aleksandra Lucic (Belgrade, Serbia/Florida SouthWestern State College/AIC) block. The Spartans made it 22-19 before Mercy closed the set with three straight points to earn the 25-19 set-two win.
A Dilena kill in the third set gave Mercy a 9-6 lead before a Maverick attack error made it 9-7. Mercy followed with a 7-0 run to take a 16-7 lead after a Lucic kill and a Stamenkovic kill later made it 21-10. A kill from Rodriguez Fuentes, a Spartan attack error and a Lucic ace made it 24-11. STAC scored two points to make it 24-13 before a Stamenkovic kill gave the Mavericks a 25-13 set-three win and the sweep.
Mercy was led by Dilena who had a match-high 17 kills and recorded her 1,000th career kill in just 77 matches. Rivera Rodriguez had a match-high 30 assists with five digs, and three kills and Brown had a match-high 11 digs. Rodriguez Fuentes added eight kills and two aces and Stamenkovic had seven kills and four digs. Illes-Hair had two kills and a match-high five block assists and Lucic contributed four kills and eight digs.
STAC was led by Adriana Zarceno who had a team-high 11 kills.
Mercy hit .356 with 41 kills, 36 digs, six aces and five blocks. STAC hit .163 with 30 kills, 30 digs, two aces and five blocks.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, November 7th when they play at Roberts Wesleyan at 12 p.m.
