SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College men's volleyball battled hard in a 16-25, 23-25, 25-23, 19-25 loss to Saint Thomas Aquinas College in East Coast Conference matchup on Saturday, March 21.
AIC is now 1-15 overall and 0-3 in the ECC.
The first set was close early, but the Spartans were able to take advantage of several runs to pull away, including a five-point stretch to build an 18-10 lead. Back-to-back aces capped a four-point run and the first set.
AIC rebounded, and took a 7-4 lead with a four-point run featuring a kill from
Dymittry Terra and two by
Robert Santana before an ace by
Emil Zhmaidziak. From there, the set went back-and-forth, and the Spartans were able to briefly take the lead at 19-17, only for AIC to bounce back and grab a 23-22 edge. However, the Spartans grabbed the final three points to steal the set and a 2-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets had their backs against the wall, and as they had in the second, ran off a four-point stretch early to gain the lead. The Spartans tied things, but AIC answered again, and held the visitors at bay all the way to 24-20. The Spartans pushed and pulled within one, but Santana slammed a shot across the court that was called in for set point. Saint Thomas Aquinas immediately challenged the ruling, but the line judge was vindicated, as video review confirmed the hit had indeed landed in bounds.
AIC had momentum, but the Spartans, who had just seen their 32-set ECC winning streak that reached back to the fifth set of the 2023 ECC Championship snapped, were not about to lose a second; they quickly jumped to a 6-2 lead in part thanks to a pair of blocks, and a later six-point run put the set out of reach. The Yellow Jackets continued to battle, but the Spartans held on to snag the win.
Santana and Zhmaidziak were both strong up front, contributing 14 and 13 kills, respectively; Zhmaidziak also aced three serves.
Rian Woods dished 36 assists and made eight digs.
AIC will continue play on Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m. against Elms College. It will be AIC's Grow The Game Night, and the match will feature broadcasts in both English and Spanish on FloCollege.
