Sept. 15, 2007
Box Score
WASHINGTON - The American University volleyball
team extended their home match winning streak to 20 early Saturday
morning, defeating the visiting Harvard Crimson, 3-1. With the win,
the Eagles move to 3-0 on the weekend and secure their spot in the
American Volleyball Tournament championship round.
American received solid play from several of their usual
suspects in the win. Rubena Sukaj
(Tirana, Albania/Asim Vokshi) led the Eagles offense with 20 kills
and six service aces and Christina Nash
(Princeton, Fla./Coral Reef) assisted on 47 Eagle attacks and dug
11 balls. Angelina
Waterman (Queens, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) gave AU an added
boost and played arguably her best game of the season. The freshman
tallied 13 kills, a .321 hitting percentage and was credited with
four block assists.
Harvard defeated AU in the match's opening frame, 30-25. The
Crimson's victory was keyed by strong defensive play in the back
row and persistent blockers up front. "They really played well
defensively in the first game," AU Head Coach Barry Goldberg
said. "Their back row made a few very good digs on our attacks and
their blockers slowed our attempts."
Persistence paid off for the Eagles in game two as AU's hitting
percentage increased more than 40 percent and their defense kicked
in, holding the Crimson to a .000 hitting percentage. "In game two
we started to pass a little better and our blocking started,"
Goldberg said. Claire Recht (Canby,
Ore./La Salle) put back three Harvard attacks and Waterman stopped
two, as AU allowed only 10 kills on 36 attempts.
The match's turning point seemed to come in the third game as
both teams battled for momentum. "Our passing really improved
during the third game and our offense started to roll," Nash said.
With the game tied at 18, Waterman began a 9-1 run for AU that
would indefinitely take the lead. American hit a match high .326
percent in the third frame with 19 kills. Ivana Cebakova and
Julia
Borecka each served two aces and Sukaj had five kills and two
blocks, pushing AU to victory.
In the match's final game American continued their hot offensive
streak with 17 kills. Sukaj hit a game high seven kills and both
Waterman and Ann
Recht (Canby, Ore./La Salle) added three. AU held a lead the
entire period and did not allow Harvard to create a significant
scoring rally, holding the Crimson to a .027 hitting percentage.
The Eagles return to action later in the day, taking on the
University of Pennsylvania in the American Volleyball Tournament
Championship, at 4 p.m.
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