DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Powered by a match-high 10 kills from senior Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) and junior Stasa Stamenkovic (Bor, Serbia/Barton CC) and a match-high 12 digs from sophomore Kamila Colon (Caguas, Puerto Rico/Colegio Catolico Notre Dame), the Mercy University Women's Volleyball Team cruised to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-9) win over Georgian Court University on Friday night at the Judge Athletic Center.
The Mavericks (7-0) start 7-0 for the first time since 2001 and have won 21 home matches in a row dating back to 2024. Mercy defeats the Lions (3-7) for the fourth straight time in the schools' first meeting since 2018.
Mercy took a 2-0 lead in set one after an Illes-Hair kill and a senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Humacao, Puerto Rico/American International College) ace. The Lions scored the next three points to take a 3-2 lead before a kill from junior Grace Dilena (New York, N.Y./Liberty University Online Academy), two kills from Stamenkovic and an ace from Dilena gave Mercy a 6-3 lead. Georgian Court later made it 8-5 before the Mavericks scored the next five points, capped off by a Rivera Rodriguez kill, to take a 13-5 lead. The Lions later cut the Mercy lead to 20-14 before the Mavericks closed the set with five straight points, capped off by a senior Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes (Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristo Rey) block, to give Mercy the first set, 25-14.
Georgian Court built a 2-1 lead in set two before Mercy went on an 8-0 run to take a 9-2 lead after a Rodriguez Fuentes kill. A Rodriguez Fuentes block later made it 12-3 before the Lions scored two of the next three points to make it 13-5. The Mavericks scored the next eight points to take a 21-5 lead after a Dilena kill. The Mavericks cruised to the 25-9 set-two win, finished off by an Illes-Hair kill.
Mercy scored the first five points of the third set and built a 15-3 lead after a Stamenkovic kill. Georgian Court later cut the Mavericks' lead to 10, 17-7, before Mercy went on a 7-1 run to take a 24-8 lead after a junior Aleksandra Lucic (Belgrade, Serbia/Florida SouthWestern State College/AIC) kill. Following a Keira Mullen kill, Illes-Hair finished off the match with a kill of her own to give Mercy the 25-9 set-three win and the sweep.
Mercy was led by Illes-Hair and Stamenkovic who both had a match-high 10 kills. Rivera Rodriguez added a match-high 29 assists with eight digs, four aces, four blocks and two kills. Dilena produced eight kills, eight digs and three aces and Rodriguez Fuentes had seven kills and four blocks. Lucic added five kills, six digs and two aces and Colon contributed a match-high 12 digs to go with two aces and six assists.
Georgian Court was led by Mullen who had a team-high four kills.
Mercy hit .440 with 42 kills, 38 digs, 11 aces and six blocks. Georgian Court hit .014 with 14 kills, 21 digs, one ace and two blocks.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action on Tuesday, September 15th when they play at Southern Connecticut State at 7 p.m.
