WASHINGTON – Fans have just two chances to watch American University volleyball play at home in the first nine matches of the Eagles' 2021 season, and the second of those comes on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. with American set to host regional rival UMBC. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and tickets are on sale for all home matches this season.
QUICK INFO
- Date/Time: Tuesday, Sept. 7 vs. UMBC (7 p.m.)
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Team Records: AU (3-3, 0-0 PL), UMBC (1-6, 0-0 America East)
- Home Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Dan Laing (pxp), Christian Taylor (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 has dominated the all-time series against UMBC, going 20-3 since the first meeting in 1989.
- It has been six years since the teams last met, with that contest going to AU in a 3-0 sweep at home on Sept. 19, 2015.
- The Eagles have won the last 10 straight matches against the Retrievers.
- UMBC's most recent victory in the series came on Oct. 1, 1996 in DC with a 3-0 sweep.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- AU has played just one of six matches at home so far, and struggled on its second day of the Aggie-Spartan Invitational in NC this past weekend.
- The Eagles beat North Carolina A&T in five sets on Friday night after coming back from a 2-0 deficit, but then lost a pair of 3-0 matches to UNC Greensboro and Norfolk State on Saturday.
- Junior Inbal Peleg was named to the Aggie-Spartan Invitational All-Tournament Team. She posted strong numbers in kills, assists and digs, and her versatility has been valuable.
- The Eagles went 4-4 in the shortened 2020-21 season, losing 3-2 to Colgate in the PL semifinals.
- Junior outside hitter Zeynep Uzen was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team for a second year in a row. Uzen was the Eagles' leader in kills in five of six matches so far.
- Senior libero Chiara Bosetti's 4.46 digs per set rank second in the PL. She's the lone Eagle so far to take advantage of an extra season.
- Hall of Fame Head Coach Barry Goldberg is in his 33rd season with a record of 781-285. He has the 6th-most wins of any active Division I coach.
- The Eagles are without three-time First Team All-Patriot League selection Helena Elbaek, who graduated following the spring season. Elbaek's 5.75 points per set led all players in NCAA Division I, with her 5.11 kills per set ranking second in the nation.
- 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 UMBC
- UMBC has gone 1-6 so far with two of its losses going to five sets. This past weekend, the Retrievers outlasted UT Rio Grande Valley 3-2 before falling 3-1 to Nicholls State and 3-0 to TCU.
- After being picked to finish fifth in the America East polls in 2020-21, UMBC went 9-3 in conference matches to earn a spot as the visitor in the championship match at UAlbany. UMBC won a thrilling five-set affair to capture its first-ever America East title and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history.
- Of UMBC's returning players, sophomore Aysia Miller was voted Setter of the Year, becoming the second Retriever to ever earn the award. Junior Emily Ferketic was Top-10 in the conference in blocks and earned a spot on the All-Academic Team.
- Head coach Cristina Robertson, now in her fifth season, was selected as the American Volleyball Coaches Association East Coast Region Coach of the Year in 2020-21, and her staff earned America East Conference Staff of the Year.
GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY
- The 20 members of the 2020-21 Eagles represent five countries besides the United States, and 10 states within the U.S.
- The furthest traveler is junior 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.
SPORTY SISTERS
- Four members of American University volleyball have sisters who also play sports at the Division I level, with three of those playing volleyball.
- Onuchi Ndee's older sister Chinaza is a fifth-year and All-American for Pitt, an opponent of AU's later this season.
- Rachael Bennett's younger sister Michelle is just starting out for Virginia Tech as a freshman on the Hokies' volleyball team.
- Morgan Johnson's younger sister Anna is a freshman for Utah Valley University. Her twin sister Elizabeth plays volleyball for Division II College of Saint Rose.
- The twin sister of sophomore Allie Burke, Maddie Burke, plays basketball at Penn State.
- One more sister is the most accomplished of all, beyond the collegiate ranks. Chiara Bosetti's sister, Caterina, is a member of Italy's National Team and represented her country in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
TICKET INFO
- Tickets to this match 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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