COLONIA, N.J. – Defending ECC Champions, Mercy was unanimously voted as the top team in the 2026 Women’s Volleyball Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's seven head coaches. The Mavericks junior outside hitter, Grace Dilena was also unanimously named Preseason Player of the Year, announced today by the conference office.
The Mavericks collected all seven first place votes and totaled 49 points to lead the preseason poll. Mercy comes into the new season after a historic 2025 stanza that resulted in an ECC Championship, ECC Regular Season Championship, and an NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship Third Round appearance. The Mavericks swept No. 4 D’Youville and No. 2 Molloy, to clinch its program’s fourth overall ECC Women’s Volleyball trophy, the first since winning three straight championships from 1999 through 2001. Mercy made its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, eighth overall appearance in the NCAA field, earning wins over Molloy and Holy Family, before falling to No. 1 Bentley in the East Region Final. The Mavericks wrapped up the season with a 22-5 overall record (11-1 ECC), producing the program’s most wins, first ECC regular season title, first ECC tournament trophy, and first NCAA Third Round appearance since 2001. The squad ended the season receiving votes in the final AVCA Top 25 poll. On the ECC team leaderboard, Mercy ranked first in assists per set, blocks per set, hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, and match win-loss percentage, while ranking second in aces per set, kills per set, team assists, team kills, team service aces, and total blocks.
2025 ECC Championship runner-up, Molloy was picked second in the preseason poll with 38 points. The Lions went 10-2 during the ECC league slate and 18-10 overall last year. At the conclusion of the season and for the first time since 2022, Molloy earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, receiving an at-large bid into the field as the No. 6 seed in the East Region. One of the ECC’s best attacking units, the Lions ranked first in the conference in kills, kills per set, assists, attacks, and attacks per set, while sitting in second place on the charts in hitting percentage, assists per set, and digs. Molloy is a two-time ECC Champion and two-time ECC Regular Season Champion, winning each title in 2017 and 2019.
Daemen was selected third in the ECC preseason poll with 37 points. The Wildcats went 12-14 overall and 8-4 in the ECC in 2025, making the ECC Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Daemen has been the most successful squad in the ECC over the past decade, winning four of the last seven ECC Championships (2018 and 2021-23) and appearing in five of the last nine ECC Championship Finals. Moreover, the Wildcats have also won a conference-leading six ECC Regular Season crowns during the timeframe, clinching titles in 2016, 2018, and four straight from 2021 through 2024.
The remainder of the preseason poll featured, D’Youville (29), Roberts Wesleyan (15), and both St. Thomas Aquinas (14) and Queens (14).
Dilena was an integral piece to Mercy’s successful 2025 campaign. Hailing from New York, N.Y., she was named AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, AVCA First Team All-Region, D2CCA Second Team All-Region, First Team All-ECC, and named ECC Championship’s Most Outstanding Player. Dilena appeared and started in all 27 matches for the Mavericks last fall, posting a stat line of 373 kills, 433.0 points, 47 service aces, 18 assists, 212 digs and 22.0 total blocks. She ranked second in the ECC in total kills and points per set; third in attacks per set, kills per set, and total attacks; while ranking fourth in hitting percentage and fifth in aces per set and service aces.
2026 ECC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll
1. Mercy - 49 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Molloy - 38 points
3. Daemen - 37 points
4. D'Youville - 29 points
5. Roberts Wesleyan - 15 points
T6. St. Thomas Aquinas - 14 points
T6. Queens - 14 points
Player of the Year
Grace Dilena - Mercy
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Founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1989 and rechristened the East Coast Conference in July 2006, the ECC was formed to enhance intercollegiate athletic competition among member institutions and to assist them in integrating athletics into their academic program in a fiscally sound way. The ECC is committed to the highest standards of scholarship, sportsmanship, teamwork, and citizenship. Its mission is to promote the total person concept in its student-athletes, which stresses the abilities to excel in academic achievement, athletic competition, and positive character traits. East Coast Conference members include: Daemen University (Amherst, N.Y.); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.); D'Youville University (Buffalo, N.Y.); Mercy University (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.); Molloy University (Rockville Centre, N.Y.); Queens College (Flushing, N.Y.); Roberts Wesleyan University (Rochester, N.Y.); College of Staten Island (Staten Island, N.Y.); and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.). The ECC also is home to 13 associate members in the sports of women’s bowling (3), men’s and women’s indoor track & field (3), men's volleyball (2), field hockey (1), and men’s lacrosse (1).
The ECC sponsors the following championship sports: baseball; men’s and women’s basketball; women's bowling; men’s and women’s cross country; field hockey; men’s and women’s lacrosse; men’s and women’s indoor track and field; men’s and women’s outdoor track and field; men’s and women’s soccer; softball; and men's and women’s volleyball.
The East Coast Conference is a proud member of the NCAA and Division II. Division II is a dynamic and engaging group of colleges, institutions and conferences of varying sizes and educational missions. Division II members encourage and support diversity; value sportsmanship, fairness and equity; and place the highest priority on the overall educational excellence of the student-athlete.