Balanced attack leads Women's Volleyball past Saint Michael's, clinches home postseason match

COLCHESTER, Vermont – The American International College women's volleyball team used a balanced attack and a strong day at the service line to win 25-12, 21-25, 25-11, 25-17 over Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference play on Saturday, November 4.

AIC is now 15-8 overall and 8-2 in the NE10; the win ensures AIC can finish no lower than fourth place in the NE10 and guarantees the Yellow Jackets a home contest in the Northeast-10 Championship Quarterfinal.

Amber Williams made three straight kills early on to set a strong tone as the Yellow Jackets rushed to a 6-1 lead to open the match, and AIC only continued from there; Aleksandra Ivanovic aced a trio of serves in a row midway through the set to extend AIC's lead to double digits, and ultimately Gabryela Castro de Jesus landed the winning kill to end the set.

The second set flipped the script, with an early five-point run for the hosts giving the Purple Knights a 6-2 lead. The Yellow Jackets closed the gap several times just for Saint Michael's to re-extend its lead, and Ella Patterson's kill on set point knotted the match 1-1.

The third was crucial, and AIC came out strong; back-to-back Kristina Peric kills, an Alice Di Francesco ace, and two attack errors put AIC up five before the Purple Knights scored their first. AIC later went on a six-point run led by Paola Soto Burgos, who hit two kills down and then combined with Ivanovic on back-to-back blocks to build to a 16-3 advantage. The Yellow Jackets cruised from there, with Williams finishing the set.

In the fourth, AIC again took an early lead, starting up 3-0 after a combo block by Peric and Williams. The Yellow Jackets held the Purple Knights at bay from there, posting two more solid runs late in the set to put it out of reach and winning for good on a service error.

Williams, Peric, and Soto Burgos all scored 12 kills for AIC; Soto Burgos also added seven digs and four blocks. Ivanovic added seven kills and six blocks. Di Francesco dished out 41 assists and pulled 13 digs, while Butkovic had five kills, four aces, and a team-best 16 digs. 

AIC plays its last regular season road and nonconference contest on Thursday, November 9 at 6:00 p.m. at Mercy University.