SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts – The American International College women's volleyball team overcame a first-set loss to defeat the University of New Haven, 3-1, in a rematch of the 2021 Northeast-10 Conference Championship Game on Tuesday, October 4.
AIC improves to 14-1 overall and 4-0 in the NE10 with the victory.
The Chargers took early command of the first set and never relinquished it. Up 11-10, they scored nine of the next 12 points to take a 20-13 edge and force an AIC timeout; though the Yellow Jackets improved out of the stoppage, it was too late, as New Haven took the set 25-22, with Amihan Johnson's fifth kill of the set for the Chargers delivering set point.
Despite the loss, AIC had momentum, and it showed in a much quicker start, as AIC jumped out to an 11-6 lead with three points coming from Paola Soto Burgos on an ace, block, and kill in that time. She would ultimately land the final point of the set, driving down a kill to give AIC a 25-16 set victory and tie the match at 1-1.
The third was much like the second. AIC strung together several runs, including three straight Andrea Serra Rosa points to put the Yellow Jackets up 13-7. Johnson scored five kills in a quick span to try to keep New Haven in it, but AIC answered every point with one of its own, and ultimately took set three by a 25-16 margin.
The teams traded runs in the fourth, with AIC overcoming a three-point deficit to tie the set at 10-10 only to concede the next three points but then get them back thanks in part to back-to-back Soto Burgos kills and then a block and a kill by Kristina Peric to take a 15-13 lead. The Chargers battled, but the Yellow Jackets held them at bay, and Soto Burgos finished the match with a kill as AIC took the fourth 25-21.
Soto Burgos led AIC with 18 kills. Serra Rosa had 12, while Peric, Aleksandra Ivanovic, and Mai-Lani Hernandez each had 10. Ivanovic also added six blocks, while Hernandez had five; she had no attack errors for the second straight match, and after her 9-0-14 showing against The College of Saint Rose, has hit .594 in the last seven sets. Naomi Eckert Rivera gathered 51 assists and made 28 digs.
The Yellow Jackets break from conference play for a tri-match Saturday, October 8 at Post University. The Yellow Jackets will play Jefferson University at 3:00 p.m. and the host Eagles following the conclusion of the first matchup.
