Volleyball downs Eagles for first win of the season

WATERBURY, Connecticut – The American International College volleyball team earned its first win of the 2018 season on Wednesday night with a 3-1 victory over the Eagles of Post. FAST FACTS: FINAL SCORE: AIC 3, Post 1 () RECORDS: AIC moves to 1-4, Post falls to 0-2 LOCATION: Drubner Center, Waterbury, Connecticut STAT LEADERS: AIC: Diva Rivas-Reyes:17 kills, seven digs Andrea Serra: 16 kills, 10 digs Dolores Kopren: 45 assists, six digs Jana Potic: 11 kills, 11 digs Evelyn Lopez: 29 digs, five assists Post: S. Seger: 11 kills, six digs T. Rivas: 26 assists, 12 digs B. Root: 23 digs M. Hunziker: Nine kills, four digs, six aces HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first set started out very tough, as the first time either team had a multiple point lead was 10-8 in favor of the Yellow Jackets. After being down by as many as four, the Eagles came back to tie the game at 20. The two teams continued to battle, as it was tied at 23 before a kill by junior outside hitter Jana Potic and an Eagle error gave the Yellow Jackets the 25-23 set win.

• AIC jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before the Eagles soared back to tie the game, 4-4. The turning point of the set came with the score tied at 16, when AIC rallied off three points to take the 19-16 advantage. Post pulled within one, 19-18, but senior libero Evelyn Lopez ended any threat of a comeback from the Eagles with an ace, and AIC was able to take set two, 25-20.

• Tied at 12 in the third set, the Yellow Jackets started to roll as they forced four straight Eagle errors to take the 16-12 lead and force a Post timeout. The Eagles did not hang their heads as they rallied back to tie the game at 22. After trading points, the Eagles used back-to-back kills to take set three, 25-23.

• The fourth set opened as another close set. The score was tied at 14 when back-to-back kills by Potic were followed by kills by sophomore middle blocker Victoria Perini and sophomore outside hitter Andrea Serra, helping the Yellow Jackets take four of the next five points. Down 21-17, the Eagles called a timeout to try and regroup to force a fifth set. The timeout did not go as hoped as AIC took the next four points to take the set, 25-17, and the match, 3-1.

GAME NOTES:

• Serra earned the first double-double in her AIC career with 16 points and 10 digs.

• Senior Evelyn Lopez recorded a career-high 29 digs in the win over the Eagles. Her previous high was 21 against Lenoir-Rhyne last season on September 1.

• The Yellow Jackets' .258 swing percentage is the team's highest this season. Their previous high was .174 against Concordia-Irvine in the opening match.

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets will head down to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to take part in a tri-match on September 1. They will face Chestnut Hill at noon followed by a match at 2 p.m. against Mercy.

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