WASHINGTON – After six straight matches on the road, American University volleyball is returning home to Bender Arena on Saturday, Oct. 16. The Eagles (10-10, 4-4) will host Lehigh (6-13, 2-6) at 4 p.m. to start the second half of the 2021 Patriot League slate.
QUICK INFO
- Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 16 vs. Lehigh / 4 p.m.
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Team Records: AU (10-10, 4-4 PL), Lehigh (6-13, 2-6 PL)
- Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Dan Laing (pxp), Christian Taylor (analyst)
MASK POLICY AT AU ATHLETICS EVENTS
- Individuals are required to wear masks to all American University athletics events, per current AU guidelines.
- We also encourage social distancing at all of our venues.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- American and Lehigh met in Bethlehem just eight days ago, with the Eagles winning in five sets. AU was down 1-0 and 2-1, and came back both times before getting a 15-11 victory in the fifth set.
- The all-time series has American leading Lehigh 36-7.
- The Mountain Hawks last defeated AU on Nov. 6, 2018 in Washington, DC, beating the Eagles in straight sets.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- The Eagles have hovered around .500 all season long, and have gone back and forth between wins and losses for the last 10 matches.
- After splitting two five-set matches last weekend, the Eagles earned their third sweep of the season on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at Navy. American is now just one win away from the 900th victory in program history.
- Junior middle Onuchi Ndee made a return to action at Navy on Oct. 13, finally cleared to play after injury and stepping foot on the competition court for the first time in 677 days. Ndee was among the Patriot League leaders in hitting percentage and blocks as a freshman in 2019, but was sidelined for all of 2020-21 and the first 19 matches of this season as well.
- In a win vs. UMBC on Sept. 7, AU recorded 18 team blocks, the most for the program since 2017. It still ties for the seventh-most in a four-set match in NCAA Division I this season.
- Sophomore Allie Burke recorded a career-high 12 blocks vs. UMBC, the highest total in the NCAA so far in 2021 and just one block shy of tying American's all-time program record.
- AU has three players ranked in the Patriot League top 10 for blocks per set, with Burke at No. 4 (1.07), senior Carlie Fikse at No. 7 (0.89) and sophomore Katie Putney at No. 8 (0.88).
- Junior Zeynep Uzen, named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, currently ranks third in the PL with 3.64 kills per set. Uzen has tallied nine double-doubles so far and posted a career-high 24 kills in just three sets at Loyola Maryland on Oct. 5. That ties for the sixth-most kills in a three-set match in the NCAA this season.
- Graduate student Chiara Bosetti leads the team and ranks third in the PL with 4.70 digs per set. Bosetti recorded a career-high 35 digs in three sets at Loyola Maryland which ranks fifth in the NCAA for a 3-set match this season.
- Hall of Fame Head Coach Barry Goldberg is in his 33rd season with a record of 788-292. He has the fifth-most wins of any active Division I coach.
- The 2021 season marks American's 20th as a member of the Patriot League after joining in 2001. AU volleyball has won 16 of 20 possible league titles during that time.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LEHIGH
- Lehigh was 3-10 before winning three of its last six matches to now stand at 6-13 overall.
- The Mountain Hawks have particularly struggled on the road, going just 1-5 at true away matches and 0-4 in neutral-site matches.
- Megan Schulte and Sabrina Lancaster lead Lehigh with 3.03 kills per set, with Schulte also averaging 1.96 digs per set and 0.57 blocks per set.
- The Mountain Hawks' 2.22 blocks per set lead all teams in the Patriot League, and Sophia Meagher's 1.09 blocks per set rank second among all players in the league. Emily Stewart is also on the list of top blockers, in sixth place with 1.01 blocks per set.
- Lehigh head coach Alexa Keckler is in her fourth season with an overall record of 43-44.
TICKET INFO
- Tickets to this match and all remaining AU Volleyball home matches are on sale and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
- AU Athletics asks that you consider pre-purchasing digital tickets prior to arriving on campus.
- The ticket office is transitioning to contactless tickets so that we may offer the safest and most effective way to minimize contact upon entry.
- Digital tickets also give fans more control in the management of tickets including the ability to forward/share ticket(s) with friends and family.
- You may either present digital tickets on a smart phone device or download and pre-print ticket(s) at home with a valid QR code.
- Thank you for your help and cooperation in advancing contactless ticketing for the health and safety of our entire AU community.
HOW TO WATCH ESPN+
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