SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College women's volleyball team opened their 2021 home season against Stonehill College on Saturday, September 25. The Yellow Jackets fell in four closely-contested sets.
FAST FACTS:
Final Scores: Stonehill 3, AIC 1
Set Scores: 21-25, 21-25, 27-25, 21-25
Record: AIC moves to 7-6 (0-2 NE10), Stonehill moves to 9-5 (1-0 NE10)
Location: Henry A. Butova Gym Springfield, Mass.
STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Andrea Serra-Rosa: 17 kills, 15 digs, 19.5 points
Amber Williams: eight kills, four blocks, 10 points
Naomi Eckert-Rivera: 28 assists, eight digs
Amanda Rodriguez: 14 digs
Stonehill:
Abby Remick: 15 kills, 17 digs, 16.5 points
Jentry Allen: 12 kills, 12 points
Lauren Wilke: 23 assists, 11 digs
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- AIC trailed 6-3 in the opening set when sophomore middle blocker Mai-Lani Hernandez recorded her first kill of the game, which sparked a 5-0 run that included kills from rookie outside hitter Amber Williams and graduate Andera Serra-Rosa.
- The inflection point of the set came as the Yellow Jackets led 16-14. The Skyhawks started a 6-0 run to separate themselves. Down to their last point of the set, the Yellow Jackets took points before the Skyhawks ended the set 25-21.
- AIC trailed 18-14 when Hernandez once again sparked a run. Sophomore defensive specialist Janae Kelly followed suit with an ace. Serra-Rosa ended the 5-0 run with a kill to take the 19-18 lead. Stonehill answered with a 4-0 run to retake the lead before taking the set 25-21.
- Trailing 22-17, the Yellow Jackets knew they had to turn their energy up. The Yellow Jackets took advantage of a service error to make a late push. Serra-Rosa and rookie Aleksandra Ivanovic aired up the bouncy house and blocked a Skyhawk attack. In the next play, Serra-Rosa jumped by herself and extended the party. Junior middle blocker Ada Guilera Martinez recorded the last point of the run with an ace.
- The Skyhawks took a point but Serra-Rosa skied high and sent an attack home with authority. AIC forced a pair of errors from the Skyhawks which allowed Serra-Rosa to give AIC its first set point of the night. Stonehill had other plans as they had match point at 25-24. AIC forced three straight Skyhawk errors to take the third set 27-25.
- AIC continued to roll in the third set as they took a 4-0 lead. A kill by rookie Dora Butkovic and a pair from Serra-Rosa allowed AIC to extend their lead to 10-5 before creating more space at 14-7. The Skyhawks started to chip away at the Yellow Jacket lead and made it 16-13 before taking the 21-19 lead and then the set 25-21.
NEXT UP:
- The Yellow Jackets return to action on Wednesday, September 29 when they host Southern Connecticut State University at 7 p.m.
