SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Facing a gauntlet of matches to start off the week which features a pair of opponents who made it to the NCAA Tournament Regional Round last season, Post University Women's Volleyball faced arguably their toughest challenge to date in taking on AIC up in Springfield, Massachusetts, a match in which they would ultimately drop in straight sets to the Yellow Jackets, 3-0. 
 
THE BASICS

Post University 0, American International College 3

Post University (5-19)

American International College (11-8)

HOW IT HAPPENED
A 2-0 lead to start with a service ace from junior outside hitter Tamara Radovanov and kill from junior middle hitter Hannah Brandt would be quickly erased behind a 5-0 run for the Yellow Jackets that saw them take control for good in the opening set. The largest lead of the set would not come until the final kill from junior middle blocker Aleksandra Ivanovic that gave AIC the set, 25-12. It was a set in which the Yellow Jackets finished with a .484 hitting percentage with 16 kills on 31 attempts while having just one error to their name. On the other side, Post would have just six kills on 34 attempts with five errors and a .029 hitting percentage.

In what would eventually be their best set hitting-wise when the match was all set and done, the Eagles got a Brandt service ace and kill from senior setter Izabella Rae which tied the set up at three all before AIC ran away with the second set for good. Not allowing Post to close the gap to less than three, another dominant hitting performance saw the Yellow Jackets close wth a 14-for-28 effort with just one error yet again for a .464 hitting percentage. After the Eagles closed the deficit to three, 19-16, AIC scored six of the next eight points for the 25-18 victory while Post recorded 10 kills on 33 attempts with four errors and a .182 hitting percentage. 

With their backs against the walls, the Eagles would fight in set three before being overpowered by the Yellow Jackets who completed the sweep. Committing back-to-back errors, tying the total number of errors they had through the first two sets combined, AIC found themselves briefly behind 5-3 before a 9-1 run saw them flip the script and take a six-point lead, 12-6. That lead would be maintained and fluctuate through the remainder of the final set, settling in favor of the Yellow Jackets, 25-00, handing Post their second consecutive loss, 3-0. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Sophomore libero Alyssa Groves finished with 17 digs, bringing her to 899 digs on the season and 101 away from reaching 1,000 in only her second season 
• Junior outside hitter Caley Harper and Hannah Brandt tied for the team-lead in kills with seven each -- Brandt finished with a .429 hitting percentage in the match 
• AIC finished the match with a hitting percentage of .404 and hitting over .400 in two of their three set wins 
• Post University is now 2-10 all-time against AIC and has lost their last 10 head-to-head matchups 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University returns to the Drubner Center tomorrow night for a 7:00 PM matchup against Adelphi University in which they will be hosting their Block the Stigma Match to promote the conversation around Mental Health Awareness. All-time against the Panthers, the Eagles are 0-2, losing both matchups in 2022 and 2015 by way of the sweep, 3-0. This will be the first time the two teams will meet in Waterbury, Connecticut.