BUFFALO, New York - The American International College women's volleyball team took two wins against two opponents in two gyms on Saturday, October 4, sneaking past D'Youville University 22-25, 25-19, 25-27, 25-21, 15-13 in a morning matchup before sweeping Daemen University 25-12, 25-22, 26-24.

AIC is now 6-3 overall.

Neither team could pull away in the first set, which saw five lead changes and 17 tie scores. AIC did well offensively, htting .333, including errorless sets on attack with three kills each by Paola Soto Burgos and Carissa Michel. However, the service line hurt the Yellow Jackets; AIC missed on five serves, and the final two points for the Saints came on aces, allowing them to steal a set where they hit just .222.

In the second, a mid-set run of eight out of 10 points allowed AIC to gain a 12-9 advatage, and the Yellow Jackets held on from there. The defense did its job, with a dozen digs in the set, including five from Claudia Flores Marrero, and AIC held the Saints to just .077 attacking to tie the match.

As with the first, the third set was back and forth, with seven lead changes and 14 ties. AIC led 24-21 after a string of kills by Lajla Rasljanin, Micel, and Janelys Perez Cortes, but the Saints called a timeout and turned the set around, scoring four straight and six of the next seven to stun the Yellow Jackets and steal the third. 

The Yellow Jackets had their backs against the wall, and the offense responded. Rasljanin and Victoria Soto Burgos combined for seven kills on just 10 swings, and the team was able to overcome an early six-point deficit to take a lead late in the set, and Michel aced the set-point serve to force a fifth. A key piece on the other side was Chelsea Foulis, who had a hand in three of the team's four blocks in the set.

With the match on the line, AIC's defense came up clutch. Michel scored three kills on seven swings to lead the team. and Victoria Soto Burgos made the final kill before an error scored the Yellow Jackets match point in a final set that still saw six ties and four lead changes, including 12-12 and 13-13.

Having one win in hand, the Yellow Jackets headed to Daemen's campus, marking the first meeting of the two teams since AIC Head Coach Eli Irizarry left the Wildcats following five years on staff.

There was no room for sentimenality, and the Yellow Jackets made that clear early on with a dominating set-one win. Rasljanin had four kills and four blocks, while Foulis had three and two, and the Yellow Jackets swung .522 while holding the Wildcats negative in attack percentage.

The second set was a bit closer, as AIC's offense cooled somewhat, but Foulis and Rasljanin, as well as Victoria Soto Burgos, each had two block assists, and Perla Rosa dug out five attacks, as AIC forced the home team to hit negative again. Rasljanin also put the final kill of the set down to give AIC a 2-0 lead. 

In the third, the Wildcats pushed back, and for the first time had a higher hitting percentage than AIC. They led for most of the set; after 1-0, AIC's next lead was 18-17 on a Perez Cortes kill. However, the Yellow Jackets kept collected down the stretch, and even with the score reaching 24-22, did not panic. Rasljanin started the final run with a kill, and helped end it by combining with Paola Soto Burgos on a block for match point.

Between the two matches, Perez Cortes had 20 kills to lead AIC, one more than Rasljanin's 19; the junior hit .333 on the day and also aced four serves. Rasljanin also totaled 10 blocks and hit .412. Michel also talled 17 kills, and the elder Soto Burgos had 14. Rosa notched 17 digs, while Zorybeth Febres had 14 and 27 assists, and Daniella Russo-Lolas made 13 digs and dished 37 assists. Foulis had 11 kills and nine blocks.

AIC will finish the three-match Western New York tour with a single game at Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 5.