SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Junior middle blocker
Nuri Shahid-Stevenson had a season-high six total blocks for Post University Women's Volleyball on Thursday night against AIC, but the Eagles would see their losing streak against the Yellow Jackets extend to 12 consecutive matches since 2008 with a five-set loss, 3-2. Post had the opportunity to close out set two leading 24-23, which would have given them a 2-0 advantage, as well as match point three times in set four with the score 24-21, but were unable to do so, allowing AIC to climb back into both sets and turn momentum in their favor for the 15-11 win in set five.
THE BASICS
Post University 2, AIC 3
Post University (13-3)
AIC (10-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED
As they would all night, Post would come back from several small deficits against the Yellow Jackets, trailing by four twice and three once, flipping a 17-13 deficit into a 20-17 lead with a 7-0 run in the first set that spearheaded them to a 1-0 advantage with a 25-20 win. Once again overcoming several deficits of four and five points, the Eagles, who were down 20-15, were led by graduate outside hitter
Kristina Peric and sophomore middle blocker
Alani Duncan to flip the second set back in their favor, 23-22, before a service error by each team put them on the brink of a 2-0 lead. Sophomore middle blocker Lajla Rasljanin's kill tied the set up for AIC, who used a 3-0 run to steal the second set, 26-24, and instead knot the match up at one set all.
Using a full team effort in set three, with the score just 12-10 in favor of the Eagles, Peric, the Shahid-Stevenson sisters, and graduate setter
Alice DiFrancesco were major players in a 9-0 run that gave Post full control, 25-13, pushing them within a set of snapping their 11-match losing streak to the Yellow Jackets. However, after leading by as many as seven points, 13-6, in the fourth set, the Eagles' lead would evaporate down the stretch, seeing AIC reclaim the advantage by one, 18-17, before Post was able to push the envelope and bring themselves within one point of the win. But junior outside hitter Janelys Perez Cortes' kill started a 5-0 run, featuring two service aces by herself and two attack errors by the Eagles, bringing the Yellow Jackets back from the edge to force a fifth set with another 26-24 finish.
Peric, who finished with a match-high 25 kills, started a 3-0 run by the Eagles that put them ahead by two, 3-1, at which point AIC would blitz them again with a 7-0 run that gave them the lead for good, capturing set five, 15-11, and the come-from-behind victory to end Post's three-game winning streak, 3-2. After starting the season 9-0, the Eagles have gone 4-3 in their last seven matches with losses to AIC, Saint Anselm College, and Bentley University over the past two and a half weeks.
As a team, the Eagles generated 115 digs defensively, the most they have had in a match since September 25th last season against the University of New Haven, when they had 128 digs in that four-set win. They would also outscore AIC for the match in points by a 79-65 margin, despite dropping the match, and reached at least 24 points in all four sets leading up to the deciding 15-point fifth set when they had 11 points. The only set in which the Yellow Jackets put up an attack percentage above .100 was the fifth set, when they had 10 kills on 29 attempts with only three errors for a .241 attack percentage.
In all, Post finished the evening with an attack percentage of .141 overall compared to just a .081 attack percentage for the Yellow Jackets, while AIC had only two more attack errors and one more service ace, 12-11. In that service ace category, Post committed 15 service errors on top of their 26 attack errors for a total of 41 errors in that match, as the Yellow Jackets were not that far off from them with 11 service errors for a total of 42 errors on the evening, when combined with their 28 attack errors and three block errors as a team. Defensively, AIC lurked close behind in the digs category as well, generating 112 total digs with five players reaching double figures.
Senior libero
Alyssa Groves finished with 42 digs, the most she has had in a match this season and since November 9th of last season against Felician University at home, when she had 47 digs in that five-set comeback win for the Eagles. DiFrancesco had another 30-plus assist performance with 39 in the match to go along with her 17 digs, recording her seventh consecutive double-double, joining Peric with 21 digs, sophomore outside hitter
Alexa Arnold with 13 digs, and junior outside hitter
Vivien Andrea Fehervari with 15 digs as the five Post players to reach double-digits.
Nuri Shahid-Stevenson had one of her best all-around matches for Post with eight kills on 20 attempts with no errors for a .400 attack percentage, while adding six block assists and three digs for a total of 11 points in the defeat. Junior outside hitter Carissa Michel led AIC with 13 kills and added on 19 digs, while graduate outside hitter Paola Soto Burgos had a team-best 20 digs to go along with her 10 kills, sandwiching in Perez Cortes with her 11 kills, nine digs, and five service aces.
The Yellow Jackets are now riding a six-game winning streak after being 4-3 coming off a loss in three sets to Bentley back on September 20th. Since that loss, they have gone to five sets twice, while sweeping twice, and winning in four sets twice during the mid-season rise in the East Region. Post will look to regroup quickly with a CACC Championship rematch against Georgian Court University scheduled for Saturday afternoon at home at 1:00 PM in the Drubner Center.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Sitting at 2,238 career digs after tonight's match, Alyssa Groves is only 295 digs away from surpassing Chestnut Hill College's Regina Trabosh for the most digs in CACC history, with 2,533 career digs from 2013-16
- Between her time at AIC and Post University, Alice DiFrancesco entered the match with 1,831 career assists. Recording 39 assists tonight, she moves to 130 assists away from 2,000 in her career
- Kristina Peric recorded 25 kills on 88 attempts with 10 errors, making it her 15th match of the season in which she has had double-digit kills out of 16 total matches
- As a team, Post University generated a season-high 114 digs with five players reaching double-digit digs -- It was the most digs in a match as a team for the Eagles since they had 128 digs in a four-set win over the University of New Haven on September 25th last year
WHO'S NEXT
A rematch of the 2024 CACC Championship Match takes place at the Drubner Center this Saturday at 1:00 PM as Post University welcomes Georgian Court University for a weekend matchup. The Eagles were swept in straight sets by the Lions in that championship match after losing to them in five sets during the regular season.
