MANCHESTER, New Hampshire - The American International College volleyball team opened its final road swing of the season against Saint Anselm College on Friday, November 15 in Northeast-10 Conference play. The Yellow Jackets and Hawks battled in a thriller, but the Hawks came away victorious in five.

FAST FACTS:
FINAL SCORE: St. Anselm 3, AIC 2 (25-13, 22-25, 19-25, 25-19, 12-15)
RECORDS: St. Anselm moves to 19-9 (9-3 NE10), while AIC drops to 11-16 (9-3 NE10)
LOCATION: Stoutenburgh Gym Manchester, New Hampshire

STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Sarah Lowery: 22 kills, 12 digs, three aces, .319 hitting percentage
Andrea Serra: 19 kills, 11 digs
Naomi Eckert: 45 assists
Amanda Rodriguez: 29 digs, seven assists, three aces

St. Anselm:
Catie McCarthy: 12 kills, 10 digs
Jordan Schamp: Eight kills, five digs
Michelle Henwood: 31 assists, 11 digs
Caroline Belmontez: 20 digs, five assists


HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The return for graduate student outside hitter Sarah Lowery to her undergraduate institution was one for the ages. Thanks in part to three kills by Lowery, the Yellow Jackets swarmed out to a 9-3 lead and forced a Hawk timeout. Out of the huddle, the Yellow Jackets conceded a point before taking the next three on kills by Lowery, redshirt-sophomore outside hitter Andrea Serra, and rookie setter Naomi Eckert. AIC continued to roll as they knocked off the Hawks 25-13 in the first set. Lowery had an outstanding .778 hitting percentage in the first set with seven kills, a personal high for the season.
• Trailing 4-1 in the second frame, Lowery started the rally to push the Yellow Jakets ahead. After the Lowery kill, Serra sent a pass from Eckert home with authority. The Hawks scored a point before AIC forced a home team error and sophomore libero Amanda Rodriguez had back-to-back aces to give AIC the 6-5 lead. Saint Anselm got the fans loud as they started to pull away and take the 17-12 lead. Trailing 20-14, Lowery and Eckert combined for a block that started a 3-0 AIC run and forced a Hawks timeout. Despite the late push, the Hawks took the second set 25-22.
• Tied at one in the third set, the Yellow Jackets took advantage of an error by the Hawks. Lowery followed that error up with a kill, while Serra and redshirt-sophomore middle blocker Claudia Gonzalez one-upped the kill with a combo block. Eckert kept the rally going with a service ace to make it 5-1. Saint Anselm answered the rally with a 11-3 run to take the 12-8 lead. AIC fought back to make it 15-14 in favor of the Hawks, but Saint Anselm answered with a 3-0 run that prompted head coach Matt Cribbin to call a timeout. The Hawks kept growing their lead as they took the set 25-19.
• Things were knotted at five in fourth stanza as Lowery started an AIC run of 3-0 that included a kill and two aces by herself. AIC led 11-10 when they started to pull away. The Yellow Jackets took four of the next five points and forced Saint Anselm to call a timeout. The Hawks made it a 16-14 game before AIC once again went on a 3-0 run. The visiting team led 20-16 as freshman middle blocker Mai-Lani Hernandez recorded a kill. Junior outside hitter Andjela Bublic followed her teammate with a kill as well. Serra rounded out the run with a kill. The Hawks took two points before an error and a pair of kills by Gonzalez allowed the Yellow Jackets to force the fifth set.
• The Hawks came out soaring in the fifth set with a 5-0 lead. AIC trailed 11-5 when the Yellow Jackets started to make a multiple-point push. Serra recorded a kill that allowed sophomore middle blocker Ada Guilera Martinez to ace the next serve. After a Saint Anselm point, Gonzalez and Serra recorded kills while Bublic put up a strong block for a point and forced a Saint Anselm timeout. The Hawks and Yellow Jackets traded the next four points to make it 14-12 in favor of the home team. Saint Anselm ended the match with a kill to spoil the weekend opener for the Yellow Jackets.

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets complete the regular season at Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday, November 16 at 1 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC volleyball team, follow@AICvbonTwitterand likeAIC VolleyballonFacebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow@AICAthleticsonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAIC Yellow JacketsonFacebook.