Onward! Women's Volleyball knocks off Assumption, will host NE10 Final Four
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
American Int'l (17-6,10-0 NE10) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Assumption (8-17,3-7 NE10) | 21 | 21 | 17 | 0 |
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The top-seeded American International College women's volleyball team won 25-21, 25-21, 25-17 against eighth-seeded Assumption University in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Tournament Quarterfinal on Tuesday, November 19.
AIC is now 17-6 on the campaign.
The Greyhounds jumped to a 3-0 lead early in the first on back-to-back Kaitlyn Montgomery kills and an Alexis Distasio ace, but AIC came right back to tie things 5-5, with two Aleksandra Lucic aces squaring the score. The Yellow Jackets then pulled ahead, taking advantage of errors by the visiting squad. Assumption rebounded with five straight to regain the lead, but four consecutive AIC points flipped the edge again and this time AIC did not return the advantage. Ultimately, another ace by Lucic ended the set in AIC's favor.
In the second, the back-and-forth continued, and the Greyhounds hung around admirably, tying the match nine times. However, AIC never once let Assumption take a lead in the set, and tied at 21-21, put things away, as Gabryela Castro de Jesus shined with three kills out of the final four points, pushing AIC up 2-0.
Assumption refused to relent, and battled AIC in the third all the way to 17-17. It was there that AIC's experience took over. Starting with a Carissa Michel kill, the Yellow Jackets scored the final eight points of the match, with two other kills from Michel and two kills and a block by Lucic in the run as well as a pair of Janelys Perez Cortes finishes. Michel's third and final kill of the stretch was the dagger, giving AIC the sweep and propelling the Yellow Jackets into the NE10 Semifinal.
Michel was the lone hitter in double figures for kills in the match with 15; Castro de Jesus had nine, with no errors for a .450 hitting percentage. Victoria Mendez dished 22 assists, while Alice Di Franesco made 14 more. Both Perla Rosa and Daniella Russo-Lolas dug 13 opposing attacks.
As the top seed remaining in the NE10 Championship, AIC will host the Semifinal and Final matches. The Yellow Jackets will face Adelphi University in the 1-vs-4 matchup, while Bentley University and the University of New Haven will battle in the 2-vs-3 contest on Friday, November 22; the winners will meet for the NE10 crown a day later. All times are to be announced.