BUFFALO, N.Y. — D'Youville (4-10, 1-2 ECC) battled through a five-set thriller on Saturday afternoon but ultimately fell to American International (6-3, 0-0 NE10) at Saints Center Gym, 25-22, 19-25, 27-25, 21-25, 13-15. Despite the narrow loss, the Saints showed grit and resilience throughout the match, leading in several key moments and pushing the Yellow Jackets to the brink.

The Saints opened the match strong, taking the first set 25-22 behind balanced offensive play and steady serving. Madeline O'Brien and Cameron Ulinski led the charge, while Gabrielle Dials and Giselle Ramirez provided crucial kills to keep D'Youville ahead. Ulinski's two late service aces sealed the set, igniting the Saints' home crowd.

After dropping the second set 25-19, D'Youville responded with one of its most composed efforts of the day in the third. The Saints edged AIC 27-25, with Ulinski continuing to shine on the attack and O'Brien adding key aces to maintain pressure. Angelyn Jaramillo also provided strong service play, while the Saints' defensive effort limited AIC's rhythm late in the set.

The Yellow Jackets managed to even the match by taking the fourth set 25-21 despite another strong start from D'Youville, which built a 9-4 lead thanks to three service aces from O'Brien. However, AIC rallied down the stretch to force a decisive fifth.

In the final set, Alina Bertens Deckart stepped up with several timely kills and helped keep the Saints within striking distance. D'Youville's energy never waned, trading points deep into the set, but American International escaped with a 15-13 win after capitalizing on a late attack error.

D'Youville finished the match with 52 kills, just six fewer than AIC's 58, and demonstrated continued growth and chemistry as conference play continues. The Saints return to action next weekend as they look to turn their strong performance into results in the win column.

Would you like me to add a short post game quote from the head coach for a more polished article-style finish?