SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - Earlier in 2024, the American International College women's volleyball team lost a match it led 2-0 against the University of New Haven. 

On Saturday, October 26, the Yellow Jackets exacted revenge, pulling off the reverse sweep against the Chargers in a match they won 22-25, 24-26, 25-14, 25-20, 15-13 to improve to 5-0 in Northeast-10 Conference play and 10-6 overall.

New Haven took an early 4-1 lead and never relented in the first, and though AIC kept the set close, the Yellow Jackets never did tie the score; former Yellow Jacket Amber Williams scored the set-point kill on her old home court to give the Chargers a 1-0 lead.

In the second, AIC began to come alive, taking the lead at several points, but the Chargers seemed to have an answer for each AIC run, and a 7-0 stretch put the visitors up 15-9. AIC responded in kind with a stretch of eight out of 10, getting ahead 23-21 with a Victoria Mendez ace. Jelena Milovanovic then put AIC to set point, but the Chargers had one last burst, with three Williams kills and an attack error giving New Haven the 2-0 advantage.

In danger of being swept, AIC fell behind 7-4 but rebounded, with four points from four players capped by a Perla Rosa ace, to take the lead. AIC roared ahead shortly after with nine straight points, including three Victoria Mendez kills, to go up 18-10, and finished with a three-point run to get within 2-1 after a 25-14 win.

Now feeling more confident, the Yellow Jackets battled again in the fourth, overcoming an early deficit to build a lead by thanks to several errors and an Aleksandra Lucic ace to force a New Haven timeout with AIC up 16-12 lead. New Haven closed within two, but AIC ensured the match needed all five sets, with an emphatic block by Lucic and Mendez to seal the set.

With the match coming down to the wire, the teams traded points in the fifth, with ties at 3-3, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, and 13-13. Over 500 swings came down to a race to two points, and it was a race that the Yellow Jackets won, with a Milovanovic and then a Janelys Perez Cortes kill putting away the remarkable victory.

Mendez starred in the match, leading with 22 kills and adding 18 assists and 24 digs as well as three blocks; Lucic scored 14 kills with seven blocks and eight digs. Kiya Yeoman added 13 kills. Perla Rosa dished 23 digs and nine assists, while Alice Di Francesco notched 31 assists and 19 digs. 

AIC now turns its attention to Bentley University, which will visit the Butova Gym on Tuesday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m.