UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Despite leading Towson in every statistical category and battling back over and over again, the American University volleyball team came up just a few points short in the end. The Eagles (24-8) lost to the Tigers (29-2) in five sets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, snapping a 17-match win streak and ending a fantastic season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Eagles lost the first set 25-23 before winning the second, 25-15. Towson then won 25-22 but AU battled again for a 25-22 win of its own in the fourth set. Finally, after runs by both teams in the fifth set, Towson closed out the match with a 15-12 victory.
• Zeynep Uzen finished her rookie season with a terrific performance, adding 11 digs and two aces to a career-high 19 kills.
• The Eagles got huge contributions from so many players, including seniors Kristen Largay (20 digs) and Aleksandra Sochacka (10 kills). Junior Helena Elbaek knocked down 13 kills.
• Junior Olivia Wassner finished three kills shy of a triple-double with 48 assists, 17 digs and seven kills. Her impressive stat line continued with six blocks and three aces. 
• The opening set was the tightest of the match from start to finish with 13 ties and four lead changes. The Eagles had a lead at 23-22, but Towson closed out the set with three straight points.
• AU dominated in the second set. The Eagles jumped out to leads of 5-0 and 9-1, reaching three kills and three aces before Towson had a single one of either. The set was never in doubt, with AU hitting .400 to Towson's -.091.
• The third set saw AU trailing 17-11 before clawing back to tie the score at 20-20 and 21-21. The Eagles gave up three points in a row to Towson before fighting off one set point but losing on a kill from the Tigers.
• AU's fourth set win seemed like a slam dunk early on with a 13-5 lead, but Towson rattled off 13 straight points to put the Eagles in an 18-13 hole. Freshman Asli Celikkol came on strong to help AU regain its lead, and Uzen ended up being the difference-maker in the end. She posted kills on each of AU's final three points to even the match at 2-2.
• The final set saw AU jump ahead 7-5 but later fall behind 12-8 after a 5-0 Towson run.
• The Eagles battled yet again and ran off four straight points for a 12-12 tie, but did not score again.
• For the match, AU led 65-61 in kills, .217 to .216 in hitting percentage, 14-11.5 in blocks, 9-4 in aces and 67-65 in digs.

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