WASHINGTON – Seniors Allison Cappellino and Monika Smidova led the American University volleyball team to a 27-25, 25-16, 25-19 victory over Bucknell on Friday evening.

Cappellino recorded a match-high 13 kills, while Smidova finished just shy of a triple-double, registering 32 assists, a match-high 15 digs and nine kills on 13 attempts.

With the win, the Eagles improved to 18-6 on the season and 9-0 in the Patriot League, while the Bison dropped to 10-10 overall and 4-6 in the league.

Bucknell gave American a scare in the opening set, which featured 19 ties and 14 lead changes. The Bison earned a 22-19 advantage late in the game, but the Eagles responded with a 4-0 run to take the lead. The teams went on to trade points until a kill by Cappellino put away the win for American at 27-25.

The Eagles controlled sets two and three, never trailing in either. AU started the second set with a 14-4 lead and Bucknell never got closer than six points the rest of the way.

American also led from the start in the third set, although the Bison were able to keep it close. After the Eagles advantage was cut to 14-13, AU responded with six straight points, including three kills by Smidova, to keep control.

"In the first set, we came out kind of hesitant," said Cappellino. "We weren't as aggressive as we can be at the net. In the second game, we got more into the swing of things and in the third set, even more so."

"Bucknell came in here ready to play today," said American head coach Barry Goldberg. "They're in fifth place right now and need to be in top four to get in the [Patriot League] tournament, so we knew they were going to be loose, and they were.

"They served us tough, they dug pretty well, they hit a lot of balls—it was a back and forth game. I think we were a little off-balance and a little hesitant. As we settled down into game two, we had two contributors—Aleksandra Kazala and Loren McKenzie—that came off the bench and made a big difference for us."

The Eagles return to action on Saturday afternoon, as they host Lafayette in a Patriot League contest at 2:00.