COLONIA, N.J. – Mercy University Women's Volleyball junior Grace Dilena (New York, N.Y./Liberty University Online Academy) has been named the East Coast Conference (ECC) Women's Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year. The Mavericks have been picked to finish first in the ECC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference office earlier today.
Mercy received all seven first-place votes to top the poll with 49 points. Molloy received 38 points to place second in the poll.
Dilena is named Preseason Player of the Year after being named AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, AVCA First Team All-Region, D2CCA Second Team All-Region, First Team All-ECC, and named ECC Championship's Most Outstanding Player. Dilena appeared and started in all 27 matches for the Mavericks last fall, posting a stat line of 373 kills, 433.0 points, 47 service aces, 18 assists, 212 digs and 22.0 total blocks. She ranked second in the ECC in total kills and points per set; third in attacks per set, kills per set, and total attacks; while ranking fourth in hitting percentage and fifth in aces per set and service aces.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks come into the new season after a historic 2025 stanza that resulted in an ECC Championship, ECC Regular Season Championship, and an NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship Third Round appearance. The Mavericks swept No. 4 D'Youville and No. 2 Molloy, to clinch its program's fourth overall ECC Women's Volleyball trophy, the first since winning three straight championships from 1999 through 2001. Mercy made its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, eighth overall appearance in the NCAA field, earning wins over Molloy and Holy Family, before falling to No. 1 Bentley in the East Region Final. The Mavericks wrapped up the season with a 22-5 overall record (11-1 ECC), producing the program's most wins, first ECC regular season title, first ECC tournament trophy, and first NCAA Third Round appearance since 2001. The squad ended the season receiving votes in the final AVCA Top 25 poll. On the ECC team leaderboard, Mercy ranked first in assists per set, blocks per set, hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, and match win-loss percentage, while ranking second in aces per set, kills per set, team assists, team kills, team service aces, and total blocks.
Todorovic and the Mavericks open their 2026 season on Thursday, August 27 when they host Felician at 7 p.m.
