The American University volleyball team hit .413 as a team in Friday night's 3-0 victory over Bucknell in the Patriot League opener for both squads. The Eagles improve to 7-9 on the season as the victory came by set scores of 25-22, 25-11, and 25-16

American (7-9) was led by a balanced offensive attack as three Eagles recorded double-digit kills. Sara Rishell hit a game-best .588 as she registered 11 kills while Rebecca Heath also notched 11 at a .400 clip. Juliana Crum tallied a game-best 12 kills and added seven digs, while Alexandria Miller and Megan Rosburg had eight kills apiece. Monika Smidova, meanwhile, led the Eagles with 32 assists, and also chipped in with seven digs, five kills, and a .571 hitting percentage.

Bucknell (3-7) hung around in the opening set before the Eagles put it away with a Smidova ace. The Eagles took firm control of the match in the second set, jumping out to a 15-4 lead and cruising to the victory. In that dominant second set, AU hit .682 as a team compared to only .174 for the Bison. In the third set, American kept up the strong play, hitting .471 to wrap up the victory.

With the win, Head Coach Barry Goldberg improves his Patriot League record to 197-6 in AU's 11th season in the conference.

The Eagles will shoot for their third straight victory on Saturday, September 24 when they host Colgate. Match time from Bender Arena is slated for 2 p.m. and all the action will be carried live on Eagles Vision TV.