Men's Volleyball pushes top-seeded STAC to brink in playoff setback
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
American Int'l (2-18,1-5) | 31 | 18 | 26 | 28 | 1 |
|
St. Thomas Aquinas (9-12,5-1) | 29 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 3 |
ORANGEBURG, New York - The fourth-seeded American International College men's volleyball team pushed top-ranked Saint Thomas Aquinas College to the very end in a four-set loss in the East Coast Conference Championship Tournament Semifinal, with three of the four sets going beyond regulation in a 31-29, 18-25, 26-28, 28-30 battle.
AIC ends the season 2-19 overall.
The Yellow Jackets trailed 24-23 in the first set, but Robert Santana landed a kill that ensured the first would go beyond the 25-point mark. The teams traded points from there, with AIC fending off four straight set points before Santana gave AIC a 29-28 lead. The Spartans then tied it, but a service error gave AIC another opportunity, and an attack error gave AIC a 1-0 lead.
In the second, the battle was close through an Alejandro Miranda kill to put AIC within 18-16. However, the Spartans turned it up with five straight points to put the set out of reach and ultimately win 25-18 to tie the match.
The third set seemed destined to go the same way, with a 22-16 Spartans lead, but AIC refused to roll over, with kills by Santana and Connor White, and then a three-point run that included a block and kill by Pedro Panelli. The Spartans drew set point with a kill, but three more points went to AIC, with two straight kills from Miranda tying it 24-24. AIC fended off two Spartan set points, but the home side was able to net two straight at 26-26 to take the third and the lead.
AIC led 11-8 early in the fourth, but errors hurt the Yellow Jackets as the Spartans flipped to a 16-11 lead with a long run. once again, AIC clawed back, drawing even at 24-24 with a 13-6 run and garnering four opportunities at set point. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as the Spartans struck three straight times to win 30-28 and take the match.
Santana racked up 22 kills for AIC, with Miranda scoring 15 as well as 10 digs and three blocks. Panelli led AIC with five blocks, while Michael Maldonado dished 37 assists.