WASHINGTON – Senior outside hitter Allison Cappellino recorded a game-high 14 kills to lead the American University volleyball team to a straight-set victory over Howard on Friday evening in Bender Arena.

The Eagles posted set scores of 25-13, 25-11, 25-20, to pick up the season-opening win on the first day of the D.C. Volleyball Challenge.

Cappellino, who had zero errors on 24 attacks, added eight digs, while senior setter Monika Smidova registered 32 assists and a game-high 14 digs. Sophomore Hoakalei Dawson matched a career high with 13 digs in her debut as AU's libero.

"Allison was tremendous today," said AU head coach Barry Goldberg. "She passed the ball, she dug the ball, she hit the ball, she touched the ball on some blocks to slow it down. She was really good."

Freshman Carmen Unzue also had a strong performance for American, recording seven kills and four blocks in her collegiate debut, while classmate Aleksandra Kazala added five kills and nine digs.

After a slow start in the first set, the Eagles began to pull away, putting together a 15-4 run en route to a 25-13 victory. American followed up with a dominant performance in the second set, hitting .517 in a 25-11 win.

In the final set, the Eagles were able to get some experience for their younger players, as they held on for a 25-20 victory to sweep the match. It marked the 650th career win for Goldberg, who enters his 27th season at the helm of the Eagles' program.

"It's the beginning of the year and our team played well," said Goldberg. "I think we played better today than what we've been seeing in practice. I felt pretty good about the connection we had while we were out there.

"We're happy about tonight's win. Overall, we saw a lot of good things and are looking forward to tomorrow."

The Eagles conclude action in the D.C. Volleyball Challenge on Saturday, as they take on Georgetown and George Mason in Fairfax, Va.