DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Despite a match-high 16 kills from junior Grace Dilena (New York, N.Y./Liberty University Online Academy), the Mercy University Women's Volleyball Team dropped a 3-0 (23-25, 20-25, 17-25) decision to Bentley University on Thursday night at the Judge Athletic Center.
The Mavericks (8-1) suffer their first loss of the season and see their 21-match winning streak at home come to an end. Mercy falls to the three-time defending East Region Champion Falcons (7-6) for the 10th straight time.
Bentley scored the first three points of the first set before Mercy rallied with a 4-1 run to even the set at 4-4. The Falcons went on a 6-2 spurt to take a 10-6 lead and later held a 14-10 lead. The Mavericks followed with the next five points to take a 15-14 lead after a junior Stasa Stamenkovic (Bor, Serbia/Barton CC) kill. A Dilena kill later gave Mercy a 17-16 lead before Bentley recorded the next three points to retake the lead at 19-17. A kill from Dilena and a block from senior Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) tied the set at 19-19. The Falcons retook the lead at 20-19 before Mercy went on a 4-2 spurt to take a 23-22 lead, after a Stamenkovic kill. Bentley closed the set with three straight points, capped off by back-to-back aces from Yasmin Tonon, giving the Falcons the 25-23 set-one win.
A Dilena kill gave Mercy a 1-0 lead to start set two. Bentley followed with a 6-2 run to take a 6-3 lead. The Falcons later held an 11-8 lead before the Mavericks rallied with a 6-2 run to take a 14-13 lead after a Dilena kill. Bentley scored three unanswered points to take a 16-14 lead and later held a 19-17 lead. Back-to-back Mercy blocks tied the set at 19-19, but Bentley ended the set on a 6-1 run to earn a 25-20 set-two win.
The third set was tied at 3-3 after a junior Aleksandra Lucic (Belgrade, Serbia/Florida SouthWestern State College/AIC) kill. The Falcons ensued with a 6-1 run to take a 9-4 lead and later increased the lead to 22-11. Mercy continued to battle and rattled off six straight points to make it 22-17 after three straight kills from Dilena. However, Bentley tallied the final three points of the set, recording the 25-17 win in set three and the sweep.
Mercy was led by Dilena who had a match-high 16 kills with eight digs. Lucic added eight kills and eight digs and Stamenkovic produced six kills and a match-high 10 digs. Senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Humacao, Puerto Rico/American International College) had 29 assists and four digs, and sophomore Kamila Colon (Caguas, Puerto Rico/Colegio Catolico Notre Dame) contributed six digs. Sophomore Isabella Brown (New York, N.Y./Great Neck North) had four digs and Illes-Hair had three kills.
Bentley was led by Lulu Pavan who had a team-high 14 kills.
Mercy hit .204 with 35 kills, 41 digs, one ace and four blocks. Bentley hit .317 with 43 kills, 34 digs, nine aces and six blocks.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action on Tuesday, September 22nd when they host Adelphi at 6 p.m.
