­­The American University volleyball team faced a 2-1 deficit but fought back in a 3-2 win over Holy Cross on Friday night. Juliana Crum led the Eagles with the double-double, tallying 14 kills and 15 digs.

Sara Rishell led American (14-8, 5-3) with 18 kills and a .389 hitting percentage as the team outhit the Crusaders, .281 to .160. Morgan Hendrix also tallied double-digit kills for the Eagles, posting 13 and hitting .435 in the match. Allison Cappellino had a team-high 21 digs to lead the defense while Kelly McCaddin paced the offense with a career-high 32 assists.

American opened the match with a 10-5 lead and tallied six unanswered points for the 10-point advantage. Holy Cross to chip away at the Eagles' lead, using three consecutive points to cut its deficit to five, 22-17. But American was able to close out the set on a kill from Bree Scarbrough, 25-19.

The second set featured nine ties before Holy Cross (1-22, 1-7) registered five straight points to take a 21-16 lead. The Eagles came back within three but the Crusaders were able to tie the match with a 25-20 set two victory.

American took an early lead in the third set before the Crusaders battled back and tied it at four different points in the match. The Eagles took a 21-19 lead on a kill by Crum, but Holy Cross responded with three consecutive tallies to take a 22-21 lead and after American tied it at 23, registered back-to-back points for the 2-1 match lead.

The Eagles opened the fourth set with eight straight points before the Crusaders came back to make it a two-point game. A kill from Kristyna Lindovska and consecutive blocks by the Eagles gave the team a 14-9 advantage. Holy Cross continued to erase its deficit, with a kill by Megan Lynch bringing the Crusaders within three. American took a 24-18 lead before consecutive tallies from Holy Cross prevented the Eagles from reaching set point. But Hendrix was able to notch the kill for the 25-20 victory to tie the match at two sets apiece.

The Crusaders took a 5-2 lead in the final set but American responded with three straight points to take a 7-6 lead. Holy Cross tied it at seven before the Eagles took the lead for good, closing out the match with a 5-1 run for the 15-9 win.

Megan Lynch and Hannah Grace Stokes each posted double-doubles for the Crusaders. Lynch had a team-high 18 kills with 16 digs while Stokes added a team-best 46 assists and 13 digs.

American returns to action tomorrow, Saturday, October 20 when it takes on Army at 4 p.m.