Seniors Alexandra Hammer and Rebecca Heath led the American University volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over Lafayette on Saturday, helping secure the team's 15th win in 16 matches. Lafayette took the first set, 25-22, before the Eagles were able to sweep the final three, 25-16, 25-12 and 25-18.

Heath led the offense with 13 kills, hitting .321, and adding eight digs, as Hammer led the American defense with 12 digs and also recording 13 assists. Sara Rishell added 12 kills for the Eagles, hitting .364 on the day, and Morgan Hendrix led the team with four blocks. Monika Smidova recorded a team-high 20 assists for the Eagles, also adding eight digs, four aces and three kills. Juliana Crum also added four aces and 11 kills for American.

The Eagles (21-10, 13-1 PL) fell 25-22 in the first set, despite the efforts of Heath as she continued to come up with big kills to put the Eagles within striking distance. Heath recorded four kills for American in the first set, but the team was held to a .105 hitting percentage, and Lafayette (10-17, 3-11 PL) was able to take the 1-0 match lead.

Two quick kills from Crum and a pair of Lafayette errors helped the Eagles take a 4-0 lead in the beginning of the second set. The Leopards were able to bring it within one at various points in the set, but the Eagles held on for the 25-16 win to tie the match at one game apiece. Heath once again paced American with four kills, for a total of eight in the two sets, as Rishell and Crum recorded seven and six kills, respectively, heading into the intermission.

The Eagles were able to sweep the final two sets, 25-12 and 25-18, to help the team secure their 13th conference victory. American held Lafayette to a .160 hitting percentage as a team, while the Eagles hit .232 in the match. On Friday, the team won its tenth regular season title in 11 years, with a 3-0 win over Lehigh.

The Eagles will next return to action in the Patriot League Tournament, where the team will look to capture its tenth Patriot League Championship. American will first face either Colgate or Lehigh next Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m. for the first semifinal. The 2011 Patriot League Championship will be held on Sunday, November 20 at 2 p.m. in Bender Arena.

All three matches will be broadcast live via Patriot League All*Access. Fans can purchase a month-long subscription for $7.95 to watch each game, as well as all other fall Patriot League Championships. For more information on Patriot League All*Access, click here.