Box Score The American University volleyball team held a 2-1 lead over No. 9 UCLA but could not hold on, as the Bruins battled back for a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Eagles in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night in Austin, Texas. The Bruins victory came by set scores of 26-28, 26-24, 23-25, 25-19 and 15-11.
Angelina Waterman matched her career-high with 22 kills to lead the Eagles and finished the match with nine digs. Magdalena Tekiel notched her 10th double-double of the season with 17 kills and 10 digs, while Alexandra Hammer recorded a season-high 52 assists and six block assists. Katerina Cinkova led the defensive efforts with a career-best eight block assists and Deborah Frantz tallied a team-high 11 digs.
American (29-3) hung close with the Bruins early in the first set and trailed 13-11 midway through following a Cinkova ace. A Waterman kill put the score at 16-13 and after a Tekiel kill the Eagles trailed by one, 19-18. Back-to-back kills from Waterman tied the teams at 21 and a UCLA (22-8) attack error gave American a 22-21 advantage. The Bruins regained the lead but could not hold on, as Waterman evened the set at 23. The teams traded points before the Eagles were able to score three straight, including consecutive kills from Tekiel, to win the first set 28-26.
The Eagles took a 5-4 lead in the second off a Bianca Richardson ace and went in front 8-6 on a Tekiel kill. UCLA would respond to even the score, beginning a stretch of back-and-forth action that saw the teams tied seven times. The Bruins were finally able to pull out to a 20-17 lead but a 5-1 American stretch put the Eagles back in front, 22-21. UCLA went on to score the next two points for a 23-22 margin and held on for the victory, 26-24.
After trailing the Bruins 5-2 early in the third set, the Eagles responded with a 4-0 run to put the score at 6-5 in their favor. UCLA would regain the advantage, but only momentarily, as a 5-1 American stretch made it a 12-9 game. The Eagles led by as many as six points, 20-14, before UCLA battled back to tie the score at 22. American was able to regain the momentum, however, and took set point on back-to-back Waterman kills, 25-23.
American jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set before consecutive blocks put the Eagles on top 11-6. UCLA used a 6-2 run to cut its deficit to 13-12 and eventually tied the score at 15. The Bruins would go on to outscore American 10-4 down the stretch, taking the set 25-19.
UCLA took a 3-1 lead to open the fifth but just as they had in the third set, the Eagles would not go down quietly. American scored four straight points for a 5-3 advantage and led 8-5 midway through the set on a Tekiel kill. The momentum changed as the teams traded benches, however, and the Bruins closed the match on a 10-3 run for set point, 15-11.
Dicey McGraw led UCLA with 22 kills while Bojana Todorovic tallied 17 kills and nine digs. Lauren van Orden recorded a double-double with 61 assists and 12 digs, guiding the Bruins to a .220 hitting percentage.
American's season comes to a close with an overall record of 29-3, marking the fourth-most wins in program history. The Eagles set a new program record with their 23-match win streak coming into the tournament and also finished conference play with a 14-0 record for the sixth time in program history. Other notable achievement's for the Eagles this season include a perfect 14-0 record at home in Bender Arena, a streak of 35 consecutive set wins and the team's ninth Patriot League Championship in 10 seasons.
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