WASHINGTON - Georgetown, George Mason and George Washington are the three opening opponents for American University volleyball to start the 2022 season. The Eagles host two of those as they welcome George Mason at noon and George Washington at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27. The night match will be AU's 14th annual "Bender Blue Out."

QUICK INFO 

• Dates/Times: Friday, Aug. 26 at Georgetown (6 p.m) / Saturday, Aug. 27 vs. George Mason (Noon) & vs. George Washington (7 p.m.)
• Site: Washington, D.C. (McDonough Arena on Friday / Bender Arena on Saturday) 
• Ticket Info for Saturday: AUEagles.com/Tickets
• TV for Saturday: ESPN+ 
• Talent for Saturday: Dan Laing (pxp), Sam Danai (analyst)

PARKING ALERT

• It is move-in week at American University, and the Bender Arena garage is reserved only for those moving in to campus.
• All volleyball fans must park in either the Katzen Arts Center garage on Massachusetts Ave. (main AU entrance) or the SIS garage off of Nebraska Ave.
• Parking will be free all day on Saturday in either garage.

ENHANCED CONCESSIONS AT BENDER ARENA 

• AU Athletics has partnered with Gregorio's Trattoria to provide an enhanced concessions menu for all home volleyball matches this season in Bender Arena.
• Fans can enjoy Gregorio's favorites including menu selections of pizza, Italian sausage and peppers, hot and cold sub sandwiches and wraps, chicken fingers, hot dogs, chips, desserts and more, as well as a full selection of refreshing Pepsi products.
• Credit cards are accepted.
• NO outside food or beverages are permitted into Bender Arena. 

INSIDE THE SERIES

• In the all-time series histories, American leads Georgetown 18-11 and George Mason 22-18, but is tied 10-10 with George Washington.
• Last year's match-ups saw AU defeat Georgetown on the road, 3-2, and George Washington at home, 3-1, but fall 3-1 at Mason.
• The Eagles have now won four straight against GW.
• AU is meeting all three of these teams for a second year in a row, but only the second time since 2015.
• Last year was a tough one for all three opponents. Georgetown went 7-22 overall, George Mason was 5-22 overall, and George Washington fared the worst at 2-25 overall.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• The Eagles have experience on their side this season with 10 upperclassmen on a roster of 15 student-athletes. AU was picked to finish third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll behind Colgate and Army West Point, after finishing fourth in the regular season standings in 2021.
• Leading the way is senior outside hitter Zeynep Uzen, the 2022 PL Preseason Player of the Year and a PL First Team selection last year. Joining Uzen on the Preseason All-League Team was graduate student and middle blocker Carlie Fikse, a PL Second Team pick in 2021.
• Hall of Fame Head Coach Barry Goldberg is in his 34th season with a record of 797-296. He has the fifth-most wins of any active Division I coach, and needs just three more victories to reach 800 wins in his storied career.
• The Eagles won seven of their last eight regular season Patriot League contests in 2021 to climb to the upper half of the standings and finish in fourth place at 11-5.
• After two comebacks on its way to winning a PL quarterfinal vs. Loyola Maryland 3-2, American then defeated Lafayette in the PL semifinals, 3-1. Colgate got the best of the Eagles in the title game with a 3-1 victory on its home court in Hamilton, N.Y.
• The Eagles won 16 of 19 PL titles through the 2019 season, but have now gone one shortened COVID season and one regular season without returning to the NCAA Tournament.
• Uzen leds the Eagles and ranked third in the PL with 4.10 kills per set as a junior. Her 525 total kills ranked seventh in NCAA Division I, while her 583.5 total points ranked 10th.
• Fikse started in all 33 matches last season, and led the league with a hitting percentage of .336. Her 246 kills ranked second on the team, as did her 116 blocks.
• AU had three players ranked in the PL top 10 for blocks in 2021, with Allie Burke at No. 5 (0.98),  Fikse at No. 8 (0.91) and Katie Putney at No. 9 (0.83).
• Fikse and Putney were both named to the 2021 Patriot League All-Academic Team.

SCOUTING GEORGETOWN

• The Hoyas return 18 letterwinners from a team that finished 7-22 in 2021, while just one new face will don the Blue & Gray this season.
• Three different returning Hoyas averaged at least two kills per set last season, led by Giselle Williams with 2.65 kps, Mary Grace Goyena with 2.60 kps and Peyton Wilhite with 2.16 kps.
• Defensively, Jessica Cusi averaged 4.47 digs per set in 2021 while Emma Plutnicki and Kelly Chen added 2.56 and 2.26 dps, respectively. Williams, Lilly Costigan, Wilhite and Ruth Kayongo each added at least a dig per set as well.
• At the net, Chanelle Smith paced the Blue & Gray with 1.10 blocks per set last season while Makayla Serrett nearly averaged a full rejection a frame with 0.98 bps. Brennan Wilhite and Peyton Wilhite both averaged at least 0.50 bps with 0.71 and 0.66 bps, respectively.
• Returning setters include Plutnicki and Costigan, having averaged 7.53 and 8.09 assists per set, respectively. Ellie Watkins also posted 2.05 aps for the Hoyas last season.

SCOUTING GEORGE MASON

• George Mason returns 16 letterwinners and three starters from the 2021 season that saw the Patriots go 5-22 overall and 3-13 in the Atlantic 10.
• The Patriots are under the direction of new head coach Megan Shifflett Bachmann, who arrived following four seasons as an assistant at Towson University where she helped lead the Tigers to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Graduate student Peyton Ehmke returns for a fifth year as a graduate student. She finished second on the team in kills (227) and blocks (61.0) and appeared in every set as a middle blocker last season.
• Helping to lead the offense will be 2021 All-Rookie selection Olyvia Kennedy, who led the team in kills (258) and kills per set (2.74) a year ago.
• Senior Stephanie Der steadied the Patriot defense a season ago, averaging 2.33 digs per set.
• The 2022 roster features four newcomers including three freshmen: Haley Graetz, Rachel Larsen and Gabriella Gelfound. Mason's incoming class also features Wichita State transfer Skylar Goering.

SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON

• First-year head coach Katie Reifert will take the sideline for the first time this weekend alongside first-year assistants Justin Wong and Nicole Alford. Reifert was a four-year starter for GW from 2007-10.
• Reifert inherits a team that features seven letterwinners, including defensive standout Bella Bowman who returns for a fifth and final season.
• Nine student-athletes were added in the offseason, including four offensive threats, a trio of setters and two liberos.
• Bowman finished 2021 with 411 digs, bringing her career total to 1,456, good enough for third overall in program history.
• Salem Yohannes returns to GW's offense after leading the team with 210 kills as a first-year last season. Yohannes, who averaged 2.66 k/s, put together three career-high 18-kill outings in 2021, playing in all but one match for GW.
• Last year's squad struggled to a 2-25 record overall, closing out the season with eight straight losses.

SEASON & SINGLE-MATCH TICKETS ON SALE NOW

• Season tickets as well as individual match tickets to all 15 home contests to be played inside Bender Arena this season are on sale now via AUeagles.com/Tickets. 
• Save over 70% percent off by purchasing a season ticket pass. 
• Group tickets are also available for advance purchase for teams and groups of 10+ by calling (202) 885-TIXX.
• Transitioning To Mobile Tickets - Pre-Purchase Tickets at AUeagles.com
• This season, AU Athletics will be transitioning to digital contactless e-tickets for the health and safety of our entire AU community and to further advance AU's sustainability and zero waste commitments. Digital tickets 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 to be scanned on entry to our venues. Thank you for your help and cooperation.

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 $69.99/month or $99.99/year. 

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Volleyball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_Volleyball), Facebook (/AU.Volleyball) and Instagram (@au_volleyball).