WASHINGTON – The final two matches of the 2020-21 regular season have American University on the road facing two different opponents. The Eagles (2-3) will play at Loyola Maryland (1-3) on Friday, March 26 at 7 p.m., and will head to Navy (3-0) on Sunday, March 28 at 4 p.m.
QUICK INFO
- Dates/Times: At Loyola: Friday, March 26, 7 p.m. / At Navy: Sunday, March 28, 4 p.m.
- Site: Baltimore, Md. (Reitz Arena) / Annapolis, Md. (Wesley A. Brown Field House)
- Series Histories: American leads Loyola (Md.) 32-2 / American leads Navy, 46-3
- TV: ESPN+ (Friday only)
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Last season saw two tight matches between the Eagles and the Greyhounds, with both going to five sets before American prevailed.
- All-time, AU leads Loyola 32-2 and had won 28 straight matches until last Friday, March 19 when the Greyhounds prevailed 3-1.
- The all-time series between AU and Navy since both teams became Division I is heavily skewed in the the Eagles' favor at 46-3, and included a 24-match win streak from 2006-16.
- Last year, the Eagles won all three meetings including a 3-1 victory in the PL semifinals on Nov. 23, 2019.
- Navy got the best of AU in straight sets earlier this week, 3-0 at Bender Arena on March 24.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- American is coming off back-to-back Patriot League losses for the first time since 2018 and only the second time since joining the league in 2001. The 3-0 loss to Navy was the first since 1987.
- Senior Helena Elbaek, who leads all players in NCAA Division I with 5.27 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.
- Freshman setter Tyra Areskoug is averaging 8.75 assists per set to rank third in the Patriot League, while senior libero Chiara Bosetti's 4.89 digs per set also rank third.
- Hall of Fame Head Coach Barry Goldberg is in his 32nd season with a record of 776-281. He has the 6th-most wins of any active Division I coach.
- 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.
- As it stands now, American ranks fifth in the league and only the top four will play in the Patriot League Championships. Both of AU's matches this weekend are likely must-wins for the Eagles to advance.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LOYOLA (MD.)
- Loyola began its 2020-21 season with two narrow losses to Navy, both in five sets, but the Greyhounds were then sidelined until March 12 due to COVID protocols both on their own team and with opponents.
- The return to action went well for Loyola as the Greyhounds defeated AU 3-1 in Bender Arena, only the second win for them in the 34 matches between the teams.
- In 2019, Loyola went 13-18 overall and 6-10 in the Patriot League.
- Loyola was picked to finish sixth in a preseason poll of Patriot League coaches and staff, while sophomore libero Katie Forsythe earned a nod to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
- Katie Forsythe was named the Patriot League Libero of the Year for the second time in as many seasons in 2019, becoming the first player in conference history to win the award as both a freshman and sophomore.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NAVY
- Navy won a pair of 5-set matches against Loyola (Md.) on Feb. 26-27, and did not play again due to COVID protocols and the Academy's restriction of movement until March 24.
- In their return to action, the Mids beat American in straight sets at Bender Arena on March 24, led by eight kills apiece from Taylor Gray and Avery Stowell.
- 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.
- Sgattoni posted seven kills and a team-high 10 digs against the Eagles on Wednesday night.
ELBAEK SMASHES THROUGH MILESTONE
- With an incredible performance and a milestone reached in AU's most recent win, senior Helena Elbaek was named the Patriot League's Player of the Week.
- Elbaek passed the 1,000 career kills mark in AU's sweep of Lafayette on March 12, becoming the 14th player in program history to do so.
- She hit an incredible .595 in the match (24 kills, 2 errors, 37 attempts), and her 24 kills in the 3-set win were the most in three sets for a Patriot League player since 2015.
- Coming into the match, Elbaek needed 15 kills to hit 1,000, which she did during a 10-kill second set and kept going from there.
- Currently, Elbaek's 5.27 kills per set lead all players in NCAA Division I.
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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