WASHINGTON – In one of its toughest challenges of the season, the American University volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to fourth-ranked Florida on Sunday afternoon in Bender Arena. In front of a D.C. volleyball record crowd of 2,629 fans, the Eagles posted set scores of 26-24, 20-25, 15-25, 23-25 against the Gators.

Senior outside hitter Sarah Katz led American, hitting a match-high .467 with 15 kills and just one error on 30 attempts.

"Sarah had a good arm today and did a decent job of seeing the court and whacking the ball pretty hard," said American head coach Barry Goldberg. "You have to come with power against a team like Florida. Sarah was a very bright spot for us today. She showed that she can compete and hit the ball with the best of them out there."

Also registering double-digit kills for the Eagles was senior Allison Cappellino, who recorded 15 kills and nine digs. Meanwhile, senior setter Monika Smidova finished with 37 assists and a season-high 18 digs.

For the Gators, Alex Holston tallied 18 kills and nine digs to lead the way, while Rhamat Alhassan added 12 kills and nine blocks.

In the opening set, neither led by more than two points in a back-and-forth affair. The Eagles came out on top when a diving dig by Smidova dropped in for a kill at 26-24.

American started out strong in the second set, getting out to a quick 3-0 lead. However, the Eagles' momentum was slowed by four early service errors and the Gators pulled away late for the win.

Florida's attack was nearly unstoppable in the third set, as the Gators scored 20 kills to take a 2-1 lead in the match. AU came back battling in set four, leading by as many as six and holding a 23-18 advantage late in the set. Florida responded with a 7-0 run to close out the set and the match.

"Today we saw how some of our players respond really well to the crowd and playing a competitive match against a good team," said American head coach Barry Goldberg. "We're young in terms of the season. We've got to get better and are hoping to get another crack at teams like this.

"It was an exciting match, I think fans came and saw a pretty high-level volleyball match. Overall, we'll take the positives and move forward with it."

The Eagles, who received votes in the preseason AVCA coaches poll, have another tough weekend ahead as they head to Honolulu next weekend, Sept. 4-6, for the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic. There, American will take on No. 18 Hawaii, No. 20 UCLA and Iowa.