SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College women's volleyball team fell 23-25, 23-25, 22-25 to Mercy University in a nonconference matchup at the Henry Butova Gymnasium on Thursday, September 24.
AIC is now 13-1 on the season.
It was a tight battle the whole way through, with both teams taking and giving back leads on miscues. Neither team scored more than three points in a row in the first set, but with the score tied at 23-23, Stasa Stamenkovic landed back-to-back kills to give Mercy the win.
The back-and-forth continued similarly in the second; AIC led early, but could never pull away, and once again the teams reached 23-23 before Mercy finished the set. This time, it was a block and an ace that put the Mavericks on top for good and put AIC down 2-0 for the first time all season.
In the third, Mercy built a 13-7 lead, and extended that to 21-14 after the match's first four-point run. However, AIC countered with five in a row of its own, with two
Selin Guler aces and a pair of combo blocks by
Victoria Mendez and
Lajla Rasljanin. It was not quite enough, however, as Mercy held on for the set win and the sweep.
Janelys Perez Cortez led the match with 17 kills, while
Carissa Michel made 13 digs; Mendez dished 26 assists and snagged 11 digs.Â
AIC next plays Pace University on the road on Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m.
