Box Score BALTIMORE – Aleksandra Kazala finished with 15 kills and no attack errors to lead American University to a 25-21, 25-15, 25-8 sweep over Loyola Maryland in a Patriot League volleyball match played Friday.
The Eagles finished the first half of their Patriot League schedule with a perfect 8-0 record and improved to 18-6 after winning their ninth straight match.
The Greyhounds fell to 4-14 overall and 1-6 in the league.
Ann Ernst had a dozen kills to lead Loyola, which finished with a .047 hitting percentage for the match.
"We came out a little tentative and struggled finding our rhythm," said AU head coach Barry Goldberg. "Our tough serving continued to improve throughout the evening.
"I'm pleased to start this four-match road swing with a good win, but we must keep improving to find success throughout this stretch. We are hopeful for big advances in the coming weeks."
American, which has a two-game lead in the standings, has its next three matches on the road at Lafayette (Oct. 21), Bucknell (Oct. 22) and Navy (Oct. 25).
The Eagles never trailed in the first set after scoring the opening three points. After coming within 10-9, Loyola pulled within two points six times the rest of the set, but AU held on for the win.
The Greyhounds took an early lead in the second set, but six straight points gave AU a 10-6 edge. Loyola pulled within 12-9, but the Eagles scored seven of the final 10 points of the set to win 25-15.
Kazala dominated the final set, getting eight of her 15 kills (8-0-11) in that set. An eight-point run on Etheridge's serve put the Eagles ahead 14-2 and the Eagles went on to the win.
AU's next home match comes on Friday, Oct. 28 against Holy Cross.
