BEVERLY, Massachusetts The American International College men's volleyball team competed in the program's inaugural match on Tuesday, January 18. The Yellow Jackets fell by a score of 3-0 to Endicott College.
FAST FACTS:
Final Score:Endicott 3, AIC 0
Set Scores:11-25, 23-25, 16-25
Records:AIC falls to 0-1, while Endicott moves to 1-0
Location:MacDonald Gym Beverly, Massachusetts
KEY STATS:
AIC:
John Rivera Ortiz: seven kills, three aces, three digs, two blocks, 11 points
Ben Warren: two kills, one ace
Alex Marinaro: one kill, one ace
Wilmer Rodriguez: one kill, two digs, one ace
Brendan Hickey: seven assists, four digs
Endicott:
Rafa Robert: eight kills, four aces, two blocks
Ian Smith: six kills
Nikolas Kasprzak: five kills, two blocks
Gavin Emenaker: seven assists, two digs, two aces
Gabe DeBenedetto: six assists
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The match started in historic fashion as rookie John Rivera Ortiz aced the program's first serve and gave AIC its first lead in program history.
- The Gulls then went on a 10-3 run to take the advantage. The Yellow Jackets fought back to make it a 12-8 set but ultimately the Gulls took the first round 25-11.
- Trailing 14-10 in the second frame, the Yellow Jackets strung together their first three-point rally in program history to make it 14-11 before tying it at 17 when freshman Wilmer Rodriguez notched an ace. Rivera Ortiz then had a kill which forced the Gulls to take a timeout. The two teams were also tied at 20 and 22, but the Gulls took the set 25-23.
- The Yellow Jackets and Gulls were tight in the third set until the Gulls went on a 7-0 run before taking the set 25-16 and the match.
FIRST OF MANY FIRSTS:
- The first point came off the hand of Rivera Ortiz who aced the program's first serve.
- The first kill also came from Rivera Ortiz to make it 10-5 in the first set. With the kill came the program's first assist, which came from newcomer Michele Bascape.
- Rivera Ortiz and rookie Pedro Panelli tag-teamed for a block in the second set for the program's first block.
UP NEXT:
- The Yellow Jackets will play their first home match on Friday, January 21 at 6:30 p.m. when they host Daemen College.
