WASHINGTON – The final home match of the season for American University volleyball has the Eagles hosting Navy (2-0) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24 on ESPN+. American (2-2) will honor two seniors -
Chiara Bosetti and
Helena Elbaek - prior to the match for Senior Day.
QUICK INFO
- Date/Time: Wednesday, March 24, 7 p.m.
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Series History: American leads, 46-2
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Dan Laing (pxp), Vela McBride (analyst)
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 asked to leave the site and will 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
- The all-time series between AU and Navy since both teams became Division I is heavily skewed in the the Eagles' favor at 46-2, and included a 24-match win streak from 2006-16.
- In Bender Arena, AU owns a 24-1 record vs. Navy since joining the Patriot League in 2001.
- Last year, the Eagles won all three meetings including a 3-1 victory in the PL semifinals on Nov. 23, 2019.
- The regular season meetings in 2018 both went AU's way, one a five-set home win and the other a sweep in Annapolis. The Mids got revenge in the PL Championship game at Bender with a five-set victory.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- Senior Helena Elbaek, who leads all players in NCAA Division I with 6.08 kills per set, was the Patriot League Player of the Week on March 15.
- Elbaek posted 24 kills in a 3-0 sweep of Lafayette on March 12, getting the 1,000th kill of her career along the way.
- 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). Most recently, AU suffered another PL defeat at the hands of Loyola (Md.) in four sets on March 19. It was the first home regular season PL loss for American since Nov. 6, 2018 vs. Lehigh.
- With 2.25 blocks per set, the Eagles lead all teams in the league. Junior Carlie Fikse leads the way with 16 blocks, and her 1.12 blocks per set are tops in the PL.
- Hall of Fame Head Coach Barry Goldberg is in his 32nd season with a record of 776-280. He has the 6th-most wins of any active Division I coach.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NAVY
- Navy won a pair of 5-set matches against Loyola (Md.) on Feb. 26-27, but has not played since due to COVID protocols and the Academy's restriction of movement.
- In 2019, the Mids went 17-12 overall and 11-5 in the Patriot League, falling to AU in the PL semis.
- Navy returned half of its starting lineup from 2019 including senior outside hitter Maddi Sgattoni, a two-time All-PL selection who ranks seventh in Navy Division I history with 1,054 career kills.
SENIOR DAY
- As a junior transfer in 2019, Chiara Bosetti came in and made an immediate impact on what became a Patriot League Champion team for the 16th time in 19 years.
- She ranked second in the league in service aces and 15th in NCAA Division I, and played in all but one match for the Eagles.
- Now in her senior year she has taken on a new role of starting libero, and her 4.75 digs per set currently rank fourth the Patriot League.
- She's a native of Albizzate, Italy, and is majoring in foreign language and communication media.
- The last time she was on the court, three-time All-Patriot League honoree Helena Elbaek posted her 1,000th career kill, becoming only the 14th player in program history to achieve the feat.
- Her 6.08 kills per set currently lead all players in NCAA Division I.
- She was named the Patriot League Player of the Week on March 15 after recording 24 kills in a 3-set win, the most by a PL player in 6 years.
- She's a native of Ikast, Denmark, is a two-time Academic All-Patriot League selection and will graduate with a degree in biology.
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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