DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – The Mercy University Women's Volleyball Team hosts Bentley University on Thursday, September 17th at 6 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Thursday, September 17th 6 p.m.
Records: Mercy (8-0), Bentley (6-6)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Bentley
Mercy dropped a 3-0 decision at Bentley in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament on December 6, 2025.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 3-0 win at Southern Connecticut State on Tuesday. The Mavericks were led by junior Grace Dilena and senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez who both had double-doubles. Mercy has started 8-0 for the first time since 2001 and look to start 9-0 for the first time since 2001. The Mavericks look to beat the Falcons for the first time since 2013. Senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez was named ECC Setter of the Week on Monday, Illes-Hair was named Defensive Player of the Week and junior Grace Dilena and Stamenkovic were tabbed to the Honor Roll. Dilena was named ECC Player of the Week on September 7th, sophomore Kamila Colon was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week and Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed Setter of the Week. Dilena was named ECC Player of the Week on August 31st, Colon was named Defensive Player of the Week, senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed Setter of the Week and juniors Aleksandra Lucic and Stamenkovic were named to the Honor Roll.
The Mavericks have been led by Rivera Rodriguez who has a team-high 274 assists to go with 80 digs, 25 kills and 19 aces. Rivera Rodriguez recorded her 2,000th career assist against Bridgeport on August 29th and her 2,000th career assist as a Maverick against Pace on September 1st. Junior Aleksandra Lucic has 59 kills with 22 aces, and 64 digs and senior Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes has 49 kills and 19 blocks. Dilena has a team-high 102 kills with 15 aces and 51 digs and Stamenkovic has 79 kills and 67 digs. Senior Mia Illes-Hair has 52 kills on the year with a team-high 21 blocks and sophomore Kamila Colon has posted a team-high 97 digs on the year. Head Coach Ana Todorovic recorded her 100th career win as a women's volleyball head coach following the win at Monroe on September 3rd.
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 Falcons
Bentley is coming off a 3-1 win over Molloy on Saturday for their fifth straight win. The Falcons went 27-5 last season, winning the East Region Championship. Bentley was picked first in the NE10 Preseason Poll. The Falcons have been led by Sophia Poehlein who has a team-high 127 kills with 85 digs. Lulu Pavan has 115 kills, and Sasha Luzina has a team-high 118 digs. Tory Vitko has a team-high 398 assists and Aaliyah Price Gooden has a team-high 35 blocks.
Next Game
Mercy hosts Adelphi on Tuesday, September 22nd at 6 p.m.
