Sept. 24, 2008

Box Score

WASHINGTON - The American University volleyball team defeated Howard University on the road Wednesday evening in straight sets, 3-0. The Eagles hit a combined .370 in the win and scored a season-high 14 service aces.

"We played well tonight against a tough team on the road," Head Coach Barry Goldberg said. "We are hopeful that this win will prepare us well for our conference opener Friday night against Colgate."

The Eagles (6-6) shutout win came by set scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-15. After a slow start in set one, the Eagles found themselves trailing Howard, 5-1. AU battled its way back into the set however, tying the score at eight and eventually taking the lead, 10-9. American would then go on a run powered by a solid defensive front to extend its lead to seven, 19-12, and eventually took set point ahead by eight, 25-17. The Eagles defense was so solid in the frame that they held Howard to a .000 hitting percentage, limiting the Bison to five kills while forcing five attack errors.

It was all AU early in the second set as the Eagles jumped out to a 10-4 lead. Howard narrowed the gap on the strength of a 4-1 run to bring the score to within three, 11-8, but would get no closer. American pushed its lead to as many as seven points, 17-10, and continued to roll en route to set point, 25-17. AU's defense shined again in the set, holding Howard to a -.080 hitting percentage and forcing nine errors.

American found itself locked in a tight battle to being the third set. Tied at nine, the Eagles pulled away with a 6-0 run to move the score to 15-9. A 4-0 run extended AU's lead to as many as nine points, 20-11, before earning match point, 25-15. AU scored a match-high 14 kills in the frame and added a match-high six aces.

Rebecca Heath, Claire Recht and Rubena Sukaj each recorded a match-high eight kills for the Eagles who combined to hit .370. Cassandra Ricketts held a match-high hitting percentage of .455 with six kills and just one error while Recht finished a close second, hitting .438 with one error. Ivana Cebakova scored a match-high five aces in the win and led the defensive charge with 10 digs. AU totaled 24 digs in the match and forced 16 attack errors to limit the Bison to a season-low .032 hitting percentage.

American will open Patriot League Play this Friday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. as it hosts Colgate in the second-annual Bender Blue Out. All AU students are encouraged to attend the match as AU attempts to break the Washington, D.C., collegiate volleyball attendance record of 1,516 set at last year's Bender Blue Out. Live video of the match will be available for free via Eagle Vision All*Access by clicking here.