WALTHAM, Mass. – For the first time in program history, Post University Women's Volleyball is headed to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the East Region. In one of their most balanced offensive efforts of the season, the Eagles handed American International College (AIC) revenge for the five-set loss they suffered on the road earlier this year, defeating the Yellow Jackets for the first time in 21 years, a stretch that spanned 12 matches, in four sets, 3-1, on Thursday night.

Post will now have to face the top-seed and host team Bentley University, who defeated them in Waltham, Massachusetts, earlier this season in four sets, tomorrow night at 7:00 PM, after the Falcons dropped set one to the eight-seed and CACC Champion University of Bridgeport before coming back to win in four sets as well. 

THE BASICS

Post University 3, AIC 1

Post University (26-5)

AIC (18-8)

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was the exact kind of start Post wanted to get off to in the first set, breaking open a five-point lead as graduate outside hitter Kristina Peric, the CACC Player of the Year and D2CCA East Region Player of the Year, had three kills and a block assist to help the Eagles go up 7-2, forcing the Yellow Jackets to call timeout.

Despite AIC creeping to within two points on six occasions, the Post lead would never be relinquished after their 5-0 run with the set tied at two. Most notable was the Eagle offense committing only two errors on 39 attempts, finishing with 12 kills and a .256 attack percentage, while errors did in the Yellow Jackets to the tune of a -.027 attack percentage following a seven-kill, eight-error effort on 37 attempts, in a 25-19 set win for Post.

As expected, the Yellow Jackets would respond with a win in set two, 25-21, as they did during the regular season matchup. Through two, it was junior outside hitter Janelys Perez Cortes leading the way for AIC with six kills on 23 attempts for a .174 attack percentage, while Post was led by none other than Peric at nine kills on 36 attempts for a .139 attack percentage.

The early stages of the set saw five lead changes and ties, before the Yellow Jackets broke away to tie the match at one set all, 25-21. While tied at nine, senior outside hitter Chelsea Foulis kicked off a 3-0 run for AIC, putting them ahead for good as the lead expanded to as many as seven points before Post's last-ditch effort to steal back the frame.

Down by seven, 23-16, a 5-0 run by the Eagles brought them within two after freshman outside hitter Elyana Ortiz's kill coming out of an AIC timeout. However, Perez Cortes would put a halt to the run with her kill and block down Ortiz's kill attempt, avoiding a Yellow Jacket collapse, in a set where they had a .212 attack percentage.
 
The déjà vu from the regular season match would continue on in set three as Post dominated it, 25-15, putting themselves on the brink of their first NCAA Tournament win in program history. However, the start of the set saw the Eagles get off on the wrong foot, falling behind by four, 8-4, leading to a timeout called by fourth-year Head Coach Tiffany Verni.

That timeout would prove to be the turning point of the set, seeing the Eagles scoring seven of the next eight points to take a two-point lead, 11-9. Despite being tied at 12 all, that would be when Post pulled away with a huge 10-0 run that AIC was unable to stop after calling their second timeout while trailing 16-12. As a team, Post amassed eight service aces in that third set alone after having only two through the first two sets, and matched their total team kills in the 25-point set in the process.

Yet again trailing early on in set four, 6-3, Post would not have a repeat of their regular season meeting with the Yellow Jackets, overcoming that three-point deficit to tie the set at 11 all, which was the start of a stretch in which the Eagles scored 10 of the next 12 points, including six consecutive, putting them ahead by seven 20-13. There would be no comeback for AIC like there was back on October 9th, as Post punched their ticket to the Second Round with a 25-19 set win and the 3-1 victory.

Peric led all players with 18 kills as six different Eagles recorded at least one kill with Ortiz joining the graduate student in terms of double-digit kills with 11 of her own, while junior middle blocker Nuri Shahid-Stevenson had five kills and a .364 attack percentage to go along with five block assists and a block solo as the trio all finished with double-digit points for the Post offense. Graduate setter Alice DiFrancesco picked up yet another double-double with 31 assists and 15 digs, the 21st of the season for her, while becoming the fifth player in program history to eclipse 1,000 assists in a single season. 

Senior libero Alyssa Groves, who was named D2CCA and AVCA All-East Region First Team yesterday, closed with 16 digs, as she, DiFrancesco, and Peric, with 12 digs, all finished with double-digit digs defensively for the Eagles in the historic Thursday night win in Massachusetts. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Kristina Peric is approaching program history for the most single-season kills after recording 18 against AIC in the win tonight -- Peric sits at 608 kills this season, needing just 11 more to break Post University's single-season kills record, which is currently held by Tadj Williams with 617 kills during the 2005 season
• With 31 assists tonight, Alice DiFrancesco eclipsed 1,000 assists on the season, becoming only the fifth player in Post University program history to reach the 1,000 mark -- DiFrancesco now sits tenth in single-season assists
• This is the first time in program history that Post University has won an NCAA Tournament match, as the Eagles entered the tournament 0-3 with three exits in the First Round between 2014 and 2016
• Post University snapped a 12-match losing streak against AIC, which dated back to the 2004 season -- The Eagles had won the first two matchups in program history before dropping the following 12 matches heading into tonight's game

WHO'S NEXT
Post University heads to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, taking on top-seed and host team Bentley University tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. Earlier this season, the Eagles faced the Falcons on the road, falling in four sets, 3-1.