GARDEN CITY, New York - The American International College women's volleyball team stunned Northeast-10 Conference rival Adelphi University, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 on Saturday, October 2
FAST FACTS:
Final Scores: AIC 3, Adelphi 2
Set Scores: 20-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-12, 15-6
Record: AIC moves to 9-6 (2-2 NE10); Adelphi moves to 11-5 (1-1 NE10)
Location: Center for Recreation and Sport Garden City, New York
STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Mai-Lani Hernandez: 13 kills, .391 hitting percentage, three blocks, 15.5 points
Ulrika Blomgren: 12 kills, 21 digs, 12 points
Paola Soto-Burgos: 11 kills, 20 digs
Ada Guilera Martinez: six kills, .429 hitting percentage, four aces, three digs
Naomi Eckert-Rivera: 40 assists,14 digs
Amanda Rodriguez: 23 digs
Adelphi:
Delaney Kiendra: 15 kills, three blocks
Samantha Meehan: 11 kills, 13 digs
Kambel Fiser: 40 assists, nine digs
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Knotted at two in the opening set, the Panthers used a 6-2 run to take an early lead.
- The Yellow Jackets trailed 22-15 when rookie outside hitter Ulrika Blomgren started an AIC rally. The rally included a pair of kills by second-year middle blocker Mai-Lani Hernandez and a block by Hernandez and classmate setter Naomi Eckert-Rivera to make it 22-19. The run was not enough as the Panthers took the first set 25-20.
- The Panthers came out hot in the second set by taking the first seven points and ultimately took the set 25-16 to push AIC's backs to the wall.
- Trailing 2-0 in the third frame, the Yellow Jackets started a 5-1 run to gain the lead. The Panthers clawed their way back to tie the game at nine and forced a Yellow Jacket timeout.
- AIC led 19-18 when newcomer Amber Williams sent a pass from Eckert-Rivera down on the other side to take the two-point lead. AIC went up 23-20 on a kill from Eckert-Rivera and Blomgren which forced the Panthers to take their second timeout in four rallies. Out of the huddle, Adelphi took the next two points before the Yellow Jackets used a service error and a kill by Hernandez to win their first set of the night.
- The Yellow Jackets kept buzzing in the fourth set as they jumped out to a 4-1 lead that eventually ballooned into a 12-6 and then 19-8 score. The Panthers tried to fight back, but the Yellow Jackets went on a 6-1 run to take the fourth set in dominating fashion, 25-12.
- The Yellow Jacket express kept chugging in the final frame as they earned a 6-0 lead thanks in part to a pair of kills from Soto-Burgos, a kill by graduate outside hitter Andrea Serra-Rosa, an ace from Eckert-Rivera, and a pair of errors by the home team. Leading 11-5, Hernandez notched another kill, followed by an ace from junior libero Amanda Rodriguez. The Panthers took a point before Soto-Burgos recorded her 11th kill of the night before AIC forced a Panther error to take the set 15-6 and the match 3-2.
NEXT UP:
- The Yellow Jackets return home on Tuesday, October 5 at 7 p.m. when they host The College of Saint Rose.
