WASHINGTON – Two Patriot League home matches are on the docket for American University volleyball this weekend, as the Eagles get set to host Loyola Maryland at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23 and Navy at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 24. Spectators who do not have a current AU ID will be required to show proof of vaccination per the new Athletics policy that takes effect Oct. 21. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and
tickets are on sale for all remaining home matches.
QUICK INFO
- Dates/Times: Saturday, Oct. 23 vs. Loyola Maryland (4 p.m.) / Sunday, Oct. 24 vs. Navy (4 p.m.)
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Team Records: AU (11-11, 5-4 PL), Loyola Maryland (14-5, 6-2 PL), Navy (8-10, 4-5 PL)
- Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Dan Laing (pxp), Kristen Largay (analyst)
PROOF OF VACCINATION REQUIRED FOR ENTRY TO BENDER ARENA
- In the interest of public health and in accordance with American University's commitment to maintaining a vaccinated community on campus, AU Athletics will require proof of vaccination for all spectators 12 and older when attending sporting events inside Bender Arena.
- This policy is effective October 21, 2021. Proof of vaccination can be achieved by showing one's vaccine card, a photo of one's card or a digital vaccine record.
- Due to AU's requirement that current students and faculty/staff be vaccinated, those with a current AU ID will not need to show further proof of vaccination.
- Read the full policy HERE.
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 leads Loyola Maryland 33-3 all-time, but lost this season's first meeting 3-0 in Baltimore on Oct. 5.
- One of the other three losses came in the spring season of 2020-21 with a 3-1 loss at home on March 19. The Eagles then beat the Greyhounds on the road, 3-1 on March 26.
- The all-time series with Navy is 50-5 in favor of American.
- Two of the five losses have been since the end of the 2018 season.
- In the first meeting of 2021, just last week on Oct. 13, American swept the Mids 3-0 in Annapolis.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- The Eagles have hovered around .500 all season long, going back and forth between wins and losses since mid-September, with just a single two-game win streak last week.
- American swept the Patriot League weekly honors after its 2-0 week with a sweep of Navy and a four-set win vs. Lehigh. Junior Zeynep Uzen was named the PL Player of the Week for the first time in her career, while freshman Esma Sipahi earned her first career PL Rookie of the Week honor.
- The Eagles' 3-0 win at Navy on Oct. 13 was 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.
- 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 (1.04), senior Carlie Fikse at No. 7 (0.93) and sophomore Katie Putney at No. 10 (0.87).
- Uzen, named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, currently ranks third in the PL with 3.61 kills per set. Uzen has tallied 10 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 seventh-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 4.49 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 789-293. 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 LOYOLA MARYLAND
- Loyola is off to the best start in its program history through 19 matches, going 14-5. The Greyhounds' 6-2 start midway through their Patriot League schedule is Loyola's best since joining the conference in 2013.
- The Greyhounds are leading the Patriot League in opponent hitting percentage, holding other teams to a .151 mark through 19 matches, a percentage that ranks No. 22 in NCAA Division I this year.
- Loyola is fourth in all of DI in digs per set (18.72) with a dig total (1,217) that also leads the conference.
- Senior libero Katie Forsythe holds the top two single-season marks for digs in both Patriot League and Loyola history, and she also holds claim to the top single-game performance at Loyola, a mark that is tied for tops in the Patriot League.
- Entering the weekend with 1,997 digs, Forsythe is 16 away from breaking the Patriot League career record set in 2019 by American's Kristen Largay (2,012). She is second all-time at Loyola, behind Brittany Born's 2,042 digs from 2007-10.
- The three-time Patriot League Libero of the Year currently averages 5.98 digs per set during her career, a stat that ranks third all-time in NCAA Division I history.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NAVY
- Navy has been up and down much like American, but has not strung more than two wins together since the opening weekend of the season.
- The Mids are coming off a 1-1 week that saw them get swept 3-0 by the Eagles on Oct. 13 before sweeping Holy Cross on Oct. 16.
- Navy leads the Patriot League in service aces per set at 1.86, with Jamie Llewellyn ranking first among all PL players at 0.47 aces per set.
- The Mids have no one ranked in the top 10 in the league in kills per set, thanks in part to a balanced offense with Avery Stowell at 2.51 kills per set, Llewellyn at 2.34 kills per set and Cami Herman at 2.15 kills per set.
- Navy returned five starters and 10 of 12 letterwinners from the team's 2021 spring season that saw it tie for third place in the Patriot League with a 4-1 record. Among the returning Mids are five players who appeared in all 22 sets during the shortened campaign.
TICKET INFO
- Tickets to these matches and all remaining AU Volleyball home matches are on sale now 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.
HOW TO WATCH ESPN+
- A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $6.99/month or $69.99/year.
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