DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Powered by six Mavericks recording five or more kills and senior Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Humacao, Puerto Rico/American International College) recording a match-high 27 assists, the Mercy University Women's Volleyball Team opened ECC play with a 3-0 (25-9, 25-14, 25-11) win over Queens College on Wednesday night at the Judge Athletic Center.
The defending ECC Champion Mavericks (11-1, 1-0 ECC) open ECC play with a win for the second straight year and have won seven straight meetings against the Knights (2-13, 0-1 ECC).
Queens scored the first point of the first set before Mercy recorded the next four points, capped off by a junior Aleksandra Lucic (Belgrade, Serbia/Florida SouthWestern State College/AIC) kill, to take a 4-1 lead. The Knights later cut the Mavericks' lead to two, 7-5, before Mercy scored eight points in a row to take a 15-5 lead after back-to-back aces from junior Stasa Stamenkovic (Bor, Serbia/Barton CC). Queens made it 15-6 before Mercy ended the set on a 10-3 run to take the opening set, 25-9.
The Knights built a 4-1 lead in set two before the Mavericks rallied with a 10-1 run to take an 11-5 lead after a Lucic ace. Queens scored the next two points to make it 11-7 before Mercy went on a 10-2 run to build a 21-9 lead after a Rivera Rodriguez ace. The Knights later made it 24-14 before a senior Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes (Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristo Rey) kill gave Mercy the 25-14 set-two win.
Mercy took a 5-1 lead in set three following back-to-back junior Devin Brunk (Clarkston, Mich./Frostburg State University) aces. Queens later made it 6-3 before the Mavericks scored six of the next seven points to take a 12-4 lead after a Brunk kill. The score was later 15-7 in favor of Mercy before the Mavericks went on a 5-1 spurt to take a 20-8 lead after a freshman Maya Norlin (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) kill. Queens scored the next two points to make it 20-10 before the Mavericks ended the set on a 5-1 run, finished off by a sophomore Ella Buonauro (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) kill, giving Mercy the 25-11 set-three win and the sweep.
Mercy was led by senior Mia Illes-Hair (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central) who had a match-high eight kills on .667 hitting and by Lucic who had six kills, seven digs, and two aces. Stamenkovic added six kills, a match-high eight digs and five aces. Rodriguez Fuentes posted six kills on .625 hitting and junior Grace Dilena (New York, N.Y./Liberty University Online Academy) added six kills on 1.000 hitting. Brunk contributed a season-high five kills, four aces and six digs and Rivera Rodriguez had a match-high 27 assists with four kills, two aces and four digs. Norlin recorded her first two collegiate kills, and Buonauro added a kill and two assists. Sophomore Kamila Colon (Caguas, Puerto Rico/Colegio Catolico Notre Dame) had six digs and five assists.
Queens was led by Zoe Sercu and Lucia Bennett who both had a team-high four kills.
Mercy hit .487 with 44 kills, 32 digs, a season-high-tying 16 aces to go with one block. Queens hit .070 with 13 kills, 22 digs, two aces and three blocks.
Head Coach Ana Todorovic and the Mavericks resume action on Sunday, October 4th when they host Daemen at 12 p.m.
