WASHINGTON – Looking to shake off some rust from the opening weekend of the season, the American University volleyball team is back in action with a home and away series against the Lafayette Leopards (2-2, 2-2) this weekend. The Eagles (1-1, 1-1) got a four-set victory in their opener vs. Bucknell on March 5, but lost in five sets to the Bison on the road.
QUICK INFO
- Dates/Times: At AU: Friday, March 12, 7 p.m. At Lafayette: Sunday, March 14, 4 p.m.
- Sites: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena) / Easton, Pa. (Kirby Sports Center)
- Series History: American leads, 39-0
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: At AU: Dan Laing (pxp)
PLEASE FOLLOW US ONLINE ONLY; NO FANS OR SPECTATORS PERMITTED ON CAMPUS.
- Per Washington, D.C. and American University guidelines, and for the health and safety of our coaches, student-athletes and campus community, no spectators are permitted at athletics events in 2020-21.
- This policy is a stipulation of our approval to host athletic events from D.C. Department of Health and D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
- We do not anticipate a change in these guidelines this semester. Violators will be escorted from the site and jeopardize our ability to host athletic events for our student-athletes.
- All American University athletic events played on campus this spring will be streamed on ESPN+ (FAQ HERE) and can also be watched through the Patriot League's International Video Stream.
- Schedules and game updates can be found at www.AUeagles.com and our Twitter account @AUeagles.
- All scheduled events and start times are subject to change.
- Please support the AU Volleyball program through our virtual ticket campaign to sell-out all AU Athletics facilities this season. Click HERE to purchase your virtual tickets.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- American has never lost to Lafayette, going 39-0 against the Leopards since the series began in 2001.
- Fifteen of the last 16 meetings have been 3-0 sweeps for AU, with the lone set win for the Leopards coming last season on their home court in a 3-1 loss.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- AU started with a win in its season opener, but suffered a tough loss in five sets to Bucknell two days later. It was the first Patriot League loss for the Eagles in 537 days (Sept. 17, 2019 at Colgate).
- Senior Helena Elbaek needs just 15 more kills to reach 1,000 in her career after posting 28 kills in the season opener and 21 kills two days later.
- Elbaek's 5.44 kills per set so far lead all players in the Patriot League.
- With 2.44 blocks per set, the Eagles rank second among all PL teams. Leading the way are freshman Allie Burke and junior Carlie Fikse with an average of one block per set each.
- Elbaek (two-time PL First Team) and sophomore Zeynep Uzen (2019 PL Rookie of the Year) were both named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
- Last season, 2019, saw the Eagles go 24-8 overall and 15-1 in league play.
- The Eagles, winners of 17 straight matches prior to the 2019 NCAA Tournament, won the Patriot League Championship and received an automatic NCAA berth for a 16th time in the 19 years since joining the league in 2001.
- Hall of Fame Head Coach Barry Goldberg is in his 32nd season with a record of 775-279. He has the 6th-most wins of any active Division I coach.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LAFAYETTE
- Lafayette posted a pair of 3-1 wins over Lehigh last weekend, led by senior and PL Player of the Week Leanna Deegan. She had 29 kills in the first match and 21 in the second.
- The Friday win over archrival Lehigh was the first for Lafayette since 2015, and the Leopards went on to sweep the weekend series.
- Deegan was named the Patriot League's Player of the Week, with that being the first Player of the Week nod for Lafayette since 2012 and the first weekly award since 2018 when Deegan was named the league's Rookie of the Week.
- The 2019 season saw the Leopards go 13-19 overall with a 2-14 mark in PL play. Head coach Ryan Adams is back for his second season.
- Lafayette returned most of its 2019 squad and added five freshmen this season.
- Lafayette has never beaten the Eagles in 39 previous tries dating back to 2001 when AU joined the Patriot League.
EYES ON ELBAEK
- Senior outside hitter Helena Elbaek has 985 career kills, needing just 15 more to become the 14th player in program history with 1,000 career kills.
- Elbaek will have a shortened season in which to set records, but just 124 more kills will get her into the top 10 all-time.
GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY
- The 17 members of the 2020-21 Eagles represent six countries besides the United States, and eight states within the U.S.
- The furthest traveler is sophomore setter Inbal Peleg, whose home in Haifa, Israel, is 5,840 miles from Washington, D.C.
- Within the United States, freshman Ariel Campbell hails from the furthest away. She's a native of California, specifically Rolling Hills Estates south of Los Angeles near the ocean.
VIRTUALLY "PHIL BENDER" ARENA PRESENTED BY GEICO
- American University Athletics has announced a new virtual ticket campaign in an effort to sell out Bender Arena this season.
- This new initiative, presented by "TEAM AU" partner GEICO, challenges Eagles fans and alumni to sell out each seat in Bender Arena for the 2020-21 year.
- The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded. Click HERE to support AU Athletics and AU Volleyball by buying virtual tickets.
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 $5.99/month or $59.99/year.
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