Volleyball sweeps Holy Family to reach East Region Final
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The top-seeded American International College women's volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 win in the NCAA Division II East Region Semifinal, taking out Holy Family University in straight sets on Friday, December 3 to advance to the East Region Championship for the fourth time in five seasons.
FAST FACTS:
Final Score: AIC 3, Holy Family 0
Set Scores: 25-19, 25-21, 25-13
Records: Holy Family falls to 25-5 while AIC rises to 29-6
Location: Henry Butova Gymnasium, Springfield, Massachusetts
KEY STATS:
Holy Family:
Camille Johnson: Eight kills
Natasha Yanief: Eight kills
Morgan Silks: 21 assists, 12 digs, two kills
AIC:
Ulrika Blomgren: 10 kills, nine digs, two blocks
Andrea Serra-Rosa: Nine kills, 10 digs, three blocks
Mai-Lani Hernandez: Seven kills, .375 attack percentage, three blocks
Amanda Rodriguez: 15 digs
Naomi Eckert-Rivera: 30 assists, five digs, two kills
Paola Soto-Burgos: Seven kills, .429 attack percentage
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The teams battled back and forth in the early going, with the guest Tigers taking a 9-7 lead on an Allyssa Hartney kill before AIC turned the tables with eight of the next nine; Janae Kelly landed two aces and Andrea Serra-Rosa scored two kills as part of the run.
- The Tigers tried to push, but Ulrika Blomgren scored several kills to blunt rallies by the guests, and ultimately, a service error was the final point in the first as AIC won 25-19.
- Setter Naomi Eckert-Rivera landed her second dump pass kill of the match to open AIC's scoring in the second set, and the Yellow Jackets jumped to a 7-4 lead before a Tigers run tied things. However, Holy Family errors, and a Blomgren kill, put AIC back up three.
- The Tigers rallied again, taking a 14-12 lead with three kills by Camille Johnson, only to have errors on serves bring AIC back to even, and ultimately ahead 23-19. Three plays later, Blomgren scored a kill, and Hernandez and Eckert-Rivera followed with a block to win the second set 25-21.
- AIC roared out to a 4-0 lead with two kills and an ace. The Tigers tried to push back, but the Yellow Jackets were not to be denied as Serra-Rosa pushed down a kill and a block before an Eckert-Rivera ace, and after a few Tigers points, another run put it out of reach as AIC went up 16-6.
- The kills kept coming from everywhere, and the Yellow Jackets continued to build up to a 24-12 advantage. Johnson scored one last kill, but Eckert-Rivera set Soto-Burgos on the pin and she finished off the match in style for the AIC sweep.
BLOCK PARTY:
- Three Yellow Jackets landed three blocks each.
- Serra-Rosa, Ada Guilera Martinez, and Hernandez had the trifectas on the front line.
- AIC outblocked Holy Family 7-1.
SPREAD OFFENSE:
- Blomgren was the only player in the match to reach double digits in kills, as AIC used both pins and the middle effectively.
- Serra-Rosa had nine kills, while Hernandez and Soto-Burgos each managed seven.
- Holy Family's offense was held to just a .076 attack percentage as AIC recorded 50 digs as a team.
22 (AIC's VERSION):
- AIC has won 22 consecutive matches.
- In that run, the team has taken 66 of 74 sets, an 89.2 winning percentage.
- The Yellow Jackets have not lost in October, November, or December.
QUOTABLE:
NEXT UP:
- The top-seeded Yellow Jackets and second-seeded Daemen College will face off for the regional title on Saturday, December 4 at 5:00 p.m. at the Butova Gymnasium.