SPRINGFIELD, Mass.– The Mercy University Women's Volleyball Team plays at American International College on Thursday, September 24th at 7 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Thursday, September 24th 7 p.m.
Records: Mercy (9-1), RV American International (13-0)
Location: Springfield, Mass.
Last Meeting vs. American International
Mercy earned a 3-1 win over AIC on November 4, 2025.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 3-0 win over Adelphi on Tuesday. The Mavericks were led by junior Stasa Stamenkovic who had a double-double and by junior Grace Dilena who had a match-high 17 kills. Mercy looks to beat AIC for the second straight year. Dilena was named ECC Player of the Week on Monday, Stamenkovic was named Defensive Player of the Week, and senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez was tabbed Setter of the Week. Rivera Rodriguez was named ECC Setter of the Week on September 14th, 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 339 assists to go with 93 digs, 26 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 72 kills with 23 aces, and 74 digs and senior Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes has 55 kills and 25 blocks. Dilena has a team-high 135 kills with 17 aces and 66 digs and Stamenkovic has 99 kills and 87 digs. Senior Mia Illes-Hair has 62 kills on the year with a team-high 28 blocks and sophomore Kamila Colon has posted a team-high 110 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. Freshman Maya Norlin comes from Oswego High School in Illinois where she was named All-Conference as a senior.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
AIC is coming off a 3-0 win over Monroe on September 17th, extending their winning streak to 13 matches. The Yellow Jackets went 18-8 last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. AIC was picked third in the NE10 Preseason Poll and is receiving votes nationally in the AVCA Top 25 Poll. The Yellow Jackets are one of three teams in Division II that are undefeated this season. AIC has been led by Carissa Michel who has a team-high 154 kills and is second with 97 digs. Mia Berdecia has a team-high 151 digs and Victoria Mendez has a team-high 405 assists and 23 aces. Janelys Perez Cortes is second on the team with 135 kills and Lajla Rasljanin has a team-high 32 blocks.
Next Game
Mercy hosts Queens on Wednesday, September 30th at 7 p.m.
