DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – The Mercy University Women's Volleyball Team plays at Pace University on Tuesday, September 1st at 7 p.m.

Who, When and Where

Date/Time: Tuesday, September 1st 7 p.m.

Records: Mercy (2-0), Pace (2-0)

Location: Pleasantville, N.Y.

Last Meeting vs. Pace

Mercy earned a 3-0 win over Pace on September 9, 2025.

Scouting the Mavericks

Mercy is coming off a 3-0 win over Bridgeport on Saturday. The Mavericks were led by junior Grace Dilena who recorded a match-high 12 kills and by senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez who dished out her 2,000th career assist. Mercy looks to start 3-0 for the first time since 2023 and defeat Pace for the sixth straight time. Dilena was named ECC Player of the Week on Monday, sophomore Kamila Colon was named Defensive Player of the Week, Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed Setter of the Week and juniors Aleksandra Lucic and Stasa Stamenkovic were named to the Honor Roll.

The Mavericks have been led by Rivera Rodriguez who has a team-high 65 assists to go with 16 digs, five kills and six aces. Lucic has 19 kills with eight aces, and 10 digs and senior Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes has nine kills. Dilena has a team-high 20 kills with seven aces and 11 digs and Stamenkovic has 15 kills and 16 digs. Senior Mia Illes-Hair has 14 kills on the year and sophomore Kamila Colon has posted a team-high 18 digs on the year.

Mercy went 22-5 last season, winning their first ECC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. The Mavericks qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and for the ECC Championship for the sixth consecutive year. Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks were picked first in the ECC Preseason Poll and junior Grace Dilena was tabbed Preseason Player of the Year. Leading the returners is Dilena who was named AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, AVCA First Team All-Region, D2CCA Second Team All-Region, First Team All-ECC and the ECC Championship's Most Outstanding Player after starting all 27 matches with 373 kills and 212 digs last season. Also returning is senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez who was named AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, AVCA First Team All-Region, ECC Setter of the Year and First Team All-ECC last season after starting all 27 matches with a team-high 896 assists and 244 digs. Senior Mia Illes-Hair also returns after being named Second Team All-ECC in 2025. Illes-Hair started all 27 matches, leading the team with 96 blocks while adding 187 kills. Senior Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes returns after posting 109 kills and 87 blocks last season. Sophomore Kamila Colon was second on the team with 227 digs last season and sophomore Isabella Brown returns after posting 120 digs. Sophomore Kori Sessions posted 52 kills last season and sophomores Sophia Chapman and Ella Buonauro also return.

Todorovic also adds four transfers and one freshman to the team ahead of the 2026 season. Leading the newcomers is junior Aleksandra Lucic who transfers from Florida SouthWestern State College and American International College. Lucic was named NE10 Rookie of the Year as a freshman at AIC and was named First Team All-Conference and Third Team All-American at Florida SouthWestern last season. Junior Stasa Stamenkovic joins Mercy from Barton Community College where she was named First Team All-American. Junior Devin Brunk comes from Frostburg State University where she played two years, recording over 300 kills and 270 digs. Junior Mya Rodriguez joins the Mavericks from American International and freshman Maya Norlin comes from Oswego High School in Illinois where she was named All-Conference as a senior.

Scouting the Setters

Pace has opened their 2026 season with wins over Dominican and Lackawanna. The Setters went 10-11 last season and were picked seventh in the NE10 Preseason Poll. Pace has been led by Ileann Alessandra Perez who has a team-high 13 kills and four blocks. Paola Ortiz has a team-high 23 digs and Aralyn Saulys has a team-high 31 assists and five aces. Kadence Ackmann is second on the team with 12 kills and Alice Bender is second with 22 digs.

Next Game

Mercy plays at Monroe on Thursday, September 3rd at 7 p.m.