DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – For the 11th year, Mercy University Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top 10 most memorable moments of the 2025-26 season, with all 10 sports represented.
Mercy University Athletics will release a Top 10 moment, as chosen by the athletics staff, with a recap every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next three weeks culminating with the top moment from the 2025-26 athletic year being unveiled on Monday, August 3rd.
No. 1 – Women's Volleyball Wins ECC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and Advances to Sweet 16 for First Time Since 2001
Checking in at No. 1 in our 2025-26 Top 10 Moments is women's volleyball who won the ECC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks were picked first in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 16-11 in 2024, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
The Mavericks opened their 2025 season on September 4th with a 3-0 win over Caldwell at the Judge Athletic Center. Senior Gabriela Bieniek had a match-high 15 kills, junior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez had a match-high 35 assists and senior Samantha Cooney added a match-high 12 digs as Mercy won their season opener for the first time since 2023. Bieniek and Rivera Rodriguez were named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 8th.
Mercy started 2-0 for the first time since 2023 with a 3-0 win over Pace on September 9th. Bieniek recorded a match-high 21 kills and sophomore Grace Dilena added 13 kills. The Mavericks suffered their first loss of the season in five sets at 2025 NCAA Tournament participant Post on September 11th. Bieniek, Rivera Rodriguez and Dilena had double-doubles and Cooney posted a career-high 25 digs. Junior Mia Illes-Hair added 13 kills and freshman Isabella Brown produced 11 digs. Rivera Rodriguez was named ECC Setter of the Week on September 15th and Bieniek and Dilena were tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Todorovic and the Mavericks bounced back with a 3-0 win over Southern Connecticut State on September 16th. Rivera Rodriguez had a double-double and Dilena added a match-high 14 kills as Mercy moved to 3-1 for the second straight year. Bieniek had a match-high 22 kills and Rivera Rodriguez added a double-double as Mercy improved to 4-1 following a 3-1 win at Felician on September 19th. Junior Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes added eight kills. Bieniek and Rivera Rodriguez were named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 22nd.
Bieniek had a match-high 12 kills as the Mavericks dropped a 3-0 decision at 2025 NCAA Tournament participant Adelphi on September 23rd. The Mavericks answered with a 3-1 win at Roberts Wesleyan in their ECC opener on September 27th. Dilena had a match-high 22 kills and Rivera Rodriguez recorded a match-high 38 assists and 13 digs as Mercy won their ECC opener for the first time since 2023. Rivera Rodriguez and Dilena were named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 29th.
The Mavericks opened the month of October with a 3-0 win at St. Thomas Aquinas on October 1st. Dilena had a match-high 11 kills and Rivera Rodriguez dished out 29 assists as Mercy improved to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in ECC play. Mercy capped off the week with a 3-0 win over Franklin Pierce on October 3rd. Dilena, Illes-Hair and Bieniek combined for 35 kills as the Mavericks moved to 7-2. Illes-Hair was named ECC Player of the Week on October 6th, Dilena was named Defensive Player of the Week and Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed Setter of the Week.
Mercy resumed action on October 7th with a hard-fought five-set loss at defending East Region Champion RV Bentley. Bieniek, Rivera Rodriguez and Dilena all had double-doubles as the Mavericks dropped the first two sets before winning the next two to force a deciding fifth set. Mercy got back into the win column with a straight-set win over defending ECC Champion D'Youville on October 11th. Bieniek recorded a match-high 12 kills and Dilena and Illes-Hair both had 10 kills as Mercy moved to 8-3 overall and 3-0 in ECC play. The Mavericks finished off the week with a 3-0 win over Daemen on October 12th. Bieniek had a team-high 14 kills, Rivera Rodriguez added a match-high 27 assists and Cooney finished with a match-high eight digs as Mercy swept the Wildcats for the first time since 2019. Bieniek and Illes-Hair were named ECC Player and Defensive Player of the Week on October 13th and Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Todorovic and the Mavericks won their third straight match with a straight-set win at Queens on October 15th. Bieniek had a match-high 15 kills, Dilena added a double-double and freshman Kamila Colon recorded 13 digs. The Mavericks ended the week with a 3-0 win at Molloy on October 18th. Dilena recorded a match-high 14 kills and Rivera Rodriguez added a double-double was Mercy moved to 11-3 overall and 6-0 in ECC play. Rivera Rodriguez and Colon were named ECC Player and Defensive Player of the Week on October 20th and Dilena was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
The Mavericks extended their winning streak to five matches with a straight-set win over St. Thomas Aquinas on October 22nd. Bieniek had a match-high 13 kills, Colon added a match-high 10 digs and Rivera Rodriguez dished out a match-high 26 assists as Mercy was off to their best start overall and in ECC play since 2001. On October 27th, Bieniek and Rivera Rodriguez were named to the ECC Honor Roll.
Mercy made it six wins in a row with a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Chestnut Hill on October 27th. The Mavericks dropped the first two sets before winning the next three to win the match. Bieniek had a match-high 24 kills with 11 digs and Rivera Rodriguez and Dilena also added double-doubles. Mercy now had their longest winning streak since 2002. The Mavericks ended the week with a 3-0 win over Roberts Wesleyan on November 1st, making it seven wins in a row. Bieniek had a match-high 13 kills and Rivera Rodriguez added 31 assists and eight digs as Mercy secured their sixth straight ECC Championship berth. Rivera Rodriguez was named ECC Setter of the Week on November 3rd and Bieniek and Illes-Hair were tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Todorovic and the Mavericks won their eighth straight match with a 3-1 win over 2025 NCAA Tournament participant American International on November 4th. Bieniek recorded a double-double, Dilena had a match-high 15 kills and Rivera Rodriguez posted a match-high 36 assists as Mercy improved to 15-3 on the year and had won eight matches in a row for the first time since 2001. The Mavericks were under consideration for a spot in the NCAA Tournament in the first regional rankings released on November 5th. Mercy saw their winning streak come to an end with a 3-2 loss at D'Youville on November 8th. Bieniek and Dilena both recorded double-digit kills and Colon added 15 digs. The Mavericks responded the next day with a 3-0 win at Daemen. Bieniek and Dilena both had a match-high 14 kills and Rivera Rodriguez and Colon added a match-high 30 assists and 12 digs as Mercy won at Daemen for the first time and swept the season series with the Wildcats for the first time. The Mavericks also matched their win total from last year. Bieniek was named ECC Co-Player of the Week on November 10th, Rivera Rodriguez was named Setter of the Week and Colon earned Rookie of the Week.
The Mavericks were ranked No. 3 in the second NCAA regional rankings released on November 12th. Mercy picked up a straight-set win over Queens on November 12th with Rivera Rodriguez recording a double-double. The Mavericks had won 10 of their last 11 matches and now had their most wins in a season since 2005. On November 15th, Mercy ended the regular season, hosting Molloy for Senior Day. Prior to the game, the Mavericks honored Cooney, Bieniek and Marichelle Rodriguez. Mercy overcame a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Lions in five sets, winning their first ECC Regular Season Championship since 2001 and finishing the regular season 11-0 at home. Bieniek had a match-high 23 kills, Rivera Rodriguez and Dilena added double-doubles and Colon posted a career-high 23 digs. The Mavericks ended the regular season 18-4 overall and 11-1 in ECC play. Mercy secured the No. 1 seed in the following week's ECC Championship and hosted the ECC Women's Volleyball Championship on November 21st and 22nd. Bieniek was named ECC Player of the Week on November 17th, Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed Setter of the Week, Colon earned Defensive Player of the Week and Dilena and Illes-Hair were named to the Honor Roll.
Mercy was again ranked No. 3 in the NCAA regional rankings on November 19th. Prior to the start of the ECC Championship, Bieniek was named ECC Player of the Year, Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed Setter of the Year and Todorovic was named Coach of the Year. Bieniek, Rivera Rodriguez and Dilena were named First Team All-Conference and Illes-Hair was tabbed Second Team All-Conference.
The Mavericks began playing in the ECC Championship on November 21st, hosting No. 4 seed D'Youville in a semifinal matchup. Dilena and Bieniek had double-digit kills and Rivera Rodriguez had a match-high 30 assists as Mercy cruised to a straight-set win over the Saints. The Mavericks advanced to the Final for the second straight year and would host No. 2 seed Molloy the following day. In front of a packed house at the Judge Athletic Center, Mercy cruised to a 3-0 win over Molloy on November 22nd to secure their first ECC Tournament Championship since 2001. Dilena recorded a match-high 17 kills and was named the Championship's Most Outstanding Player. Rivera Rodriguez added 37 assists, and Rodriguez Fuentes produced 12 kills. Mercy won their fourth ECC Championship in program history and ended the season 13-0 at home. The Mavericks earned the ECC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and would be making their third straight appearance.
On November 24th, the Mavericks officially received the program's eighth-ever bid for the NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 3 seed in the East Region after going 20-4. Mercy would face No. 6 seed Molloy in the First Round at Bentley.
Prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament, Bieniek was named D2CCA First Team All-Region and Dilena was tabbed Second Team All-Region. Bieniek, Rivera Rodriguez and Dilena were also named AVCA First Team All-Region.
After beating Molloy three times already during the 2025 season, the Mavericks faced the Lions for a fourth time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Bieniek had a match-high 24 kills and Rivera Rodriguez and Dilena added double-doubles as Mercy overcame a 2-1 deficit to earn a five-set win over Molloy. The Mavericks advanced to the second round for the second time in three seasons and would face No. 7 seed Holy Family the next day. Mercy sat at 21-4 on the year with their most wins since 2001. On December 5th, the Mavericks took on Holy Family in the second round. Mercy dropped the first set before winning the next three sets to earn the four-set win. Dilena had a match-high 23 kills, Illes-Hair had seven blocks with nine kills, Rivera Rodriguez added 37 assists, and Colon had 11 digs as Mercy advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. The Mavericks would play at No. 1 Bentley in the Sweet 16 on December 6th. Dilena had a match-high-tying 14 kills as Mercy fell in straight sets to Bentley in the East Region Final. Rivera Rodriguez added 24 assists and Colon collected 11 digs. The Mavericks ended the year 22-5, winning their first ECC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. Mercy also ended the year with their most wins since 2001.
Bieniek, Dilena and Rivera Rodriguez were named AVCA Honorable Mention All-American on December 10th. The Mavericks also ended the year receiving votes nationally in the final AVCA Top 25 Poll.
Mercy also excelled in the classroom with Bieniek, Rivera Rodriguez, Illes-Hair and Dilena being named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team. Bieniek was also named the ECC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's volleyball, and the Mavericks earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for posting a 3.64 GPA during the 2025-26 academic year.
The Mavericks had a historic season in 2025 and will look to build upon that success in 2026.
Schedule for the Top 10 Moments of the 2025-26 Season
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next three weeks, the Mercy University Athletic Department will release the Top 10 moments one at a time beginning with the No. 10 moment on Monday, July 13th. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Monday, August 3rd.
No. 1 – August 3rd
No. 2 – Softball Qualifies for NCAA Tournament for First Time Since 2017 and Advances to East Region 1 Final for First Time
No. 3 – Women's Lacrosse Wins ECC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and Earns First-Ever NCAA Tournament Win
No. 4 - Women's Basketball Wins First-Ever ECC Regular Season Championship and Qualifies for NCAA Tournament
No. 5 – Women's Soccer Wins ECC Regular Season Championship and Advances to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
No. 6 – Baseball Finishes as ECC Runner-Up for First Time
No. 7 – Men's Lacrosse Qualifies for ECC Championship for 11th Straight Season and Ends Season Receiving Votes Nationally
No. 8 – Men's Soccer Qualifies for ECC Championship for Seventh Time in Eight Seasons
No. 9 – Field Hockey Nearly Qualifies for NE10 Championship
No. 10 – Men's Basketball Earns ECC Academic Team of Excellence and Kohen Rowbatham is Named Third Team All-ECC and All-Met Honorable Mention
