The American University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to Villanova to open play in the American Volleyball Classic Friday evening in Bender Arena. The Wildcats earned the victory with set scores of 25-20, 25-19, and 28-26.

Sara Rishell led American (5-7) with a team-best 12 kills while Kelly McCaddin hit .556 for AU with five kills. Monika Smidova, meanwhile, recorded 14 digs to lead the Eagles and Megan Rosburg chipped in 10.

Villanova (8-3) was led by Maggie Mergen's 12 kills and .400 hitting percentage. Krista Andersen chipped in nine kills while Kim Maroon had 27 digs. As a team, the Wildcats hit .327, including a .452 mark in the opening set. On the flip side, the Eagles struggled to get in the flow offensively, hitting a team .136 in the three sets.

In the other match on day one of the American Volleyball Classic, Western Kentucky improved to 11-1 on the season with its 3-1 victory over Missouri.

The round-robin tournament will continue tomorrow, September 17, beginning at 11 a.m. with the Eagles taking on Western Kentucky. AU will also face Missouri in the nightcap at 7 p.m. Both of AU's matches on Saturday will be broadcast live on Eagles Vision TV.