Women's Volleyball wins NE10 Finals rematch with Adelphi

GARDEN CITY, New York – In a rematch of the 2022 Northeast-10 Conference Championship Game, the American International College women's volleyball team used strong play from their veteran roster to defeat Adelphi University 25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23.

AIC is now 8-6 overall and 3-0 in the NE10.

In a sign of things to come, the first two points of the match were aces by setter Alice Di Francesco. AIC jumped to a 4-1 lead, and though Adelphi closed the gap at times, the Yellow Jackets held the hosts off, and a 7-1 run late in the set put AIC ahead 21-12 before Aleksandra Ivanovic eventually scored a kill for set point.

The second set was back-and-forth; AIC led early, but a string of errors in the middle of the set gave the Panthers a 20-16 lead and they held onto it, tying the match on Macarty McQueen's swing.

The third set was crucial, and both teams played like it. Tied 15-15, the Yellow Jackets earned some separation with an Ivanovic kill and a Gabryela Castro de Jesus ace. The Panthers pulled within one and tied things back up at 21-21, then again at 23-23, but could never retake the lead; Di Francesco scored a kill to put AIC at set point and an error finished the job. 

Now in range of a win, AIC roared to a 6-0 lead in the fourth, forcing the Panthers to burn a timeout in the process. The results did not improve until the hosts used their final timeout with the score 13-6 AIC; the Panthers from there started to close the gap. AIC garnered match point thanks to a combo block by Amber Williams and Di Francesco to make the score 24-20, but the Panthers notched three straight, forcing AIC to call timeout. Out of the break, Ivanovic finished the match with a kill.

Ivanovic was brilliant, hitting .636 with 15 kills and four blocks. Di Francesco's statline was equally strong; she dished out 43 assists, made 15 digs, and added seven aces, four kills, and a pair of blocks. Paola Soto Burgos notched 11 kills, while Williams had nine; Perla Rosa made 14 digs. 

AIC returns home on Tuesday, October 3 at 6:00 p.m. for Hispanic Heritage Night against Southern Connecticut State University.