WASHINGTON – The Patriot League slate begins this weekend at home for American University volleyball as the Eagles (6-6) get set to host Colgate (5-6, 2-0) on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. and Holy Cross (1-12, 0-2) on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m. The Colgate match will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and
tickets are on sale for all home matches this season.
QUICK INFO
- Dates/Times: Saturday, Sept. 25 vs. Colgate (5 p.m.) / Sunday, Sept. 26 vs. Holy Cross (1 p.m.)
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Team Records: AU (6-6, 0-0 PL), Colgate (5-6, 2-0 PL), Holy Cross (1-12, 0-2 PL)
- Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
- TV: ESPN+ (Colgate only)
- Talent: Dan Laing (pxp), Kristen Largay (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 leads Colgate 43-6 in the all-time series, but two of the losses have come in the most recent three matches.
- The teams met just once last season, and the Raiders got the best of the Eagles in five sets in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
- In the most recent meeting in D.C. between AU and Colgate, the Eagles swept the Raiders 3-0 on Oct. 26, 2019.
- The all-time series between AU and Holy Cross is even more lopsided, with the Eagles leading it 38-1.
- The lone win for the Crusaders was recent, a 3-1 victory on their home court in 2018.
- In 2019, American won 3-0 on the road and 3-1 at home. The teams did not meet in 2020-21.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- The Eagles finished the bulk of their non-conference schedule at exactly .500 after being up and down all season so far.
- American is coming off a nearly three-hour, five-set win at Howard on Tuesday that featured 55 ties and saw the Eagles rally from two sets down.
- In the UMBC win on Sept. 7, AU recorded 18 team blocks, the most for the program since 2017. It also ties for the third-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. She had two solo blocks and 10 block assists.
- Junior Zeynep Uzen, named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, currently ranks third in the PL with 3.22 kills per set. Uzen has tallied four double-doubles so far and recently knocked down a career-high 23 kills vs. Harvard.
- AU has used two seniors at libero so far, with Fanny Ahman getting the nod in the last five matches. She posted 18 digs in the UMBC win, and most recently tallied a career-high 32 digs in the win at Howard. Graduate student Chiara Bosetti and Ahman rank fifth and sixth in the PL, respectively, in digs per set.
- American finished the 2020-21 regular season with back-to-back wins to earn a spot in the PL Championships, after suffering back-to-back PL losses for the first time since 2018 and only the second time since joining the league in 2001. The Eagles' COVID-shortened season ended in the Patriot League semifinals with a narrow, 3-2 loss to host Colgate.
- Hall of Fame Head Coach Barry Goldberg is in his 33rd season with a record of 784-288. He has the 6th-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 19 possible league titles during that time.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT COLGATE
- Colgate stands at 5-6 overall but rides a four-match win streak heading into the weekend, which will see the Raiders play at Navy on Friday before facing American on Saturday.
- The Raiders are 2-0 in Patriot League play after home sweeps of both Lehigh and Lafayette.
- Head coach Ryan Baker is in his 17th season, and Colgate was picked first in the Patriot League preseason poll.
- Alli Lowe, two-time Player of the Year, is in her fifth season and was voted to repeat the top honor again in 2021. The reigning Setter of the Year, Julia Kurowski, is also back for the Raiders.
- In 2020-21, Lowe guided Colgate to its first PL championship game since 2016. She became the first AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and All-Region honoree in program history.
- Kurowski garnered Patriot League Setter of the Year honors after leading the conference in assists last season with 369, averaging 9.71 per set.
- Colgate returned six of seven players who played in all 10 matches last season. Harper Snyder landed Second Team All-Patriot League honors as a first year, highlighting Colgate's sophomore contingent.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT HOLY CROSS
- Holy Cross has struggled this season after a strong campaign in 2020-21. The Crusaders are 1-12 overall with an 0-2 mark in the Patriot League, and will play at Loyola Maryland on Saturday before facing American on Sunday.
- Senior Skye Daval-Santos made the All-Tournament Team at the Dartmouth Invitational after posting a career-high 31 digs against Dartmouth.
- Junior Gracyn Benck leads the Crusaders with 114 kills and is averaging a team-high 2.85 kills per set.
- Benck is closely followed by freshman Abbie Lane who has posted 102 kills and is averaging 2.68 kills per set. Lane has posted four double-doubles this season.
- The reigning Patriot League Coach of the Year, Kathleen Colpoys is in her third season. During the 2020-21 campaign, the Crusaders qualified for their first Patriot League Tournament since the league moved to a four-team format in 1996.
- The Crusaders returned eight student-athletes from last year's squad and are led by captains Johnna Shamley, Skye Daval-Santos and Gracyn Benck.
BURKE ON THE BLOCK
- Sophomore Allie Burke exploded for a career-high of 12 blocks in AU's 3-1 win vs. UMBC on Sept. 7.
- That total ranks as the most in any length match in the NCAA so far this season, is the most for a Patriot League player in three years, and is just one block shy of tying American's all-time single-match record.
- Burke tallied two solo blocks and 10 block assists in the victory.
- She currently ranks second in the Patriot League with 1.27 blocks per set.
EPIC MATCH
- The Eagles' most recent win at Howard was a five-set victory that took nearly three hours and featured a total of 55 ties, including 22 in just the first set.
- AU trailed 2-0 but came back to win the final three behind very strong performances from Zeynep Uzen (18 kills, 13 digs), Fanny Ahman (32 kills), Inbal Peleg (12 kills, 26 assists, 9 digs) and Allie Burke (8 blocks).
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.
- 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+
- 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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