WASHINGTON - It was a tough fight in Annapolis, but the 2022 season ended for American University volleyball in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament. Navy won 3-1 by scores of 25-22, 23-25, 25-16 and 25-23 and the Eagles finished at 15-15 for the season.

NOTABLE

• Carlie Fikse led AU with 15 kills on just 24 attempts, hitting .542 and also posting four blocks.
• Two others finished with double figures in kills as Zeynep Uzen recorded 13 and Katie Putney had 11.
• Onuchi Ndee led the Eagles with five blocks, and Inbal Peleg had 46 assists.
• Bridget Javitch and Esma Sipahi posted 12 and 11 digs, respectively.
• Navy finished with a 12-9 lead in blocks but only a 55-54 edge in kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Eagles were chasing most of the way in the first set but made it close in the end.
• AU cut an eight-point, 15-7 deficit in half at 16-12, and soon came within two at 17-15 after a kill by Uzen followed an Uzen-Ndee block.
• Down four at 20-16, AU came back again to cut Navy's lead to two at 20-18, 22-20 and 24-22, but the Mids ended it with a kill for a 25-22 win.
• There were 12 ties and seven lead changes in a thrilling second set that saw big runs by both teams.
• The Eagles used a 5-0 run for a 12-7 lead, and later led 15-9 before a 7-0 run for the Mids.
• Down the stretch it was neck-and-neck, but Putney helped AU stay tied or in the lead, and Berisha put down back-to-back kills for a 25-23 win to tie the match.
• The Mids posted 12 kills and zero errors in hitting .462 in a strong third set. 
• The score was tied up at 11-11 but it was nearly all Navy the rest of the way, and the Mids closed it out 25-16 for a 2-1 match lead.
• AU jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the fourth and still looked strong with a 15-12 lead at the midway point.
• From there, Navy made a run to tie it up and take the lead at 19-18. 
• Down 23-19, AU made one last push thanks to strong blocking and had it within one at 24-23, but the final point was a kill for Navy.

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