SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - It was the final home match of their collegiate careers, and Paola Soto Burgos and Perla Rosa went out in style.

The duo led the American International College women's volleyball team with their usual offensive and defensive prowess as part of a 25-14, 25-21, 25-18 sweep of Saint Anselm College in the Northeast 10 Conference Championship First Round on Tuesday, November 18.

AIC took charge early, with two kills and a block by Carissa Michel as part of a 7-2 opening run that AIC expanded to 15-5 with strong swings and aces. Janelys Perez Cortes stacked up a few kills down the stretch as well, and it was Soto Burgos who finished off the set with an authoritative swat to put it away at set point. AIC hit .467 in the set, with 16 kills against just two errors.

Daniella Russo-Lolas, the conference's leading server, opened the second with an ace, but the middle set was much more back-and-forth as the Hawks found their rhythm. However, AIC's offense still hummed along, and Soto Burgos made five kills on eight swings, while Perez Cortes scored four more, including set point, to put AIC ahead 2-0.

With their backs against the wall, the Hawks gave everything they had, and a mid-set run of four straight kills had the visitors up 15-14. Head Coach Eli Irizarry used the first AIC timeout of the match, and it was here that the Soto Burgos name came to the front again. Victoria Soto Burgos came through with a block before two straight kills by Paola, followed by a Victoria kill, gave AIC an 18-15 lead. The elder Soto Burgos made one more kill and aced two serves to close on the win, and then the front line finished it, as Lajla Rasljanin blocked for the final two points of the match and the win.

As a team, AIC had one of its best hitting days of the year, with 45 kills on 101 swings against only eight errors for a .366 attack percentage. Paola Soto Burgos led the match with 13 kills, hitting .480, while Michel hit .412 on eight kills with one error on 17 swings and Rasljanin went 6-1-14 for a .357 attack percentage and her four blocks. 

Rosa made 22 digs in the match, and her second dig of the second set was a milestone moment, as it was the 1500th of her career, making her just the third player in program history to reach the mark. 

"Honestly, that's the best, most satisfying thing to do in our last home game...it's emotional. I'm happy, but it wouldn't have happened without my teammates. I can't do anything without them. I'm grateful and happy," Rosa said after the match.

Both of the longtime players let the emotion of their final game in Butova Gym out after the contest.

"If I could make a montage of the growth I've had in this gym, it would be the most beautiful thing ever...I couldn't be more grateful for picking this school and being able to play in this gym every day...nothing like AIC. Forever a Yellow Jacket, for sure," Rosa said.

"It means a lot...this is a place where I've grown a lot as a person, as a player. My best moments, and my not so best moments as well. I have no words for this place, just grateful," Soto Burgos said.

The team next will face a familiar foe in Adelphi University on Friday, November 22 in Waltham, Massachusetts at Bentley University. The start time for the match is to be announced by the NE10 and will be shared as soon as it is available.