SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to seven as the team knocked off the University ofBridgeport on Tuesday, October 12 in straight sets.
FAST FACTS:
Final Score: AIC 3, Bridgeport 0
Set Scores: 25-21, 25-9, 25-8
Records: AIC improves to 14-6 (4-2 NE10); Bridgeport falls to 8-8 (3-2 ECC)
Location: Butova Gym Springfield, Massachusetts
KEY STATS:
AIC:
Ulrika Blomgren: 17 kills, .405 hitting percentage, six digs, 17.5 points
Andrea Serra-Rosa: eight kills, .350 hitting percentage, 16 digs, 10.5 points
Naomi Eckert-Rivera: 28 assists, nine digs
Amanda Rodriguez: 10 digs, four assists
Bridgeport:
Paolo Hernandez: seven kills, five digs
Emily Burford: five kills, six digs
Jaden Drollinger: 13 assists, seven digs
Amanda Hennemann: 23 digs
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Yellow Jackets led 8-6 in the opening set when they made the first run of the match by scoring seven of the next eight points. The teams battled back and forth but the Yellow Jackets always kept the Purple Knights at least three points back as they took the first set 25-21.
- AIC entered the set 12-1 on the season when taking the second set of a match. With this in mind, the Yellow Jackets cranked things up to 11. They jumped out to a 7-2 lead as they controlled every aspect of the game. Graduate outside hitter Andrea Serra-Rosa recorded the first two points of the set with kills. The Purple Knights tied the set but another kill by Serra-Rosa followed by two from rookie outside hitter Ulrika Blomgren, one from junior middle blocker Ada Guilera Martinez, and an ace from Serra-Rosa made it a five-point game.
- The Yellow Jackets did not look in the review mirror as for the first time this season they held an opponent to single digits in a set played to 25, winning 25-9.
- While the Purple Knights hoped to get back into the match, the Yellow Jackets took the first six points and an early 10-2 lead. To end the match rookies, Amber Williams and Jayln Brown had a block party to give AIC the set 25-8 and complete the sweep of the Purple Knights.
MAKING HISTORY:
- Tonight, junior Naomi Eckert-Rivera took possession of the fourth place in program history in assists with 2,080 as she passed Dawn Richardson '04 by seven. She will now set her sight on Stephanie O'Brien '98 who recorded 3,839 assists in her career.
- Against Southern Connecticut State University on September 29, Rodriguez joined the 1,000 career digs club.
- Serra-Rosa has jumped up to fifth place in career kills with 1,262, only 14 behind Ellisha Terry '12. Additionally, she is in fourth place in career points and trails Terry by 50 points. With one more ace Serra-Rosa will move into a tie to ninth place in career history with 127.
- Serra-Rosa set a Northeast-10 Conference record with 32 kills in the rally-scoring era against Southern Connecticut. She is one of only two athletes to break the 30 kills in a match during the rally era and she has done it twice. In 2019 she recorded 31 kills against Wilmington University. 2016 NE10 Player of the Year and former Yellow Jacket Diva Rivas-Reyes is the only other athlete to reach the mark.
IN THE RIGHT SITUATION:
- This season the Yellow Jackets are 8-3 when taking the first set of a match. When you add the fact that they are 6-0 this season when leading 2-0 other teams start to worry when they drop the first two.
- The Yellow Jackets are averaging 13.0 kills per set compared to their opponents 10.7. In their 20 matches, this season the Yellow Jackets have recorded more kills than the opposition 13 times and are undefeated in those matches.
NEXT UP:
- The Yellow Jackets will pack their bags as they head to Mercy College on Friday, October 15 at 6 p.m.
