HAMILTON, N.Y. - The rematch of the 2021 Patriot League Championship was much more one-sided than the Eagles had hoped, as American University volleyball fell in three sets at Colgate by scores of 25-18, 28-26 and 25-20.

NOTABLE

• Freshman Adelina Berisha had a strong match with 15 kills to lead the Eagles, hitting .414.
• Senior Zeynep Uzen posted nine kills and hit .304. American hit well in the second and third sets, but was out-done overall by Colgate at .361 to .286.
• Leading AU and all players in the match in blocks was grad student Carlie Fikse with four. She also tallied five kills and hit .400.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• AU got off to a slow start in Cotterell Field House, trailing from the first point and all the way through the opening set. 
• Two kills from Uzen and one from Maya Mrus helped fight off three set points, but Colgate had plenty of cushion and won 25-18.
• The second set was a nail-biter all the way with 14 ties and eight lead changes. 
• The Eagles looked ready to even up the match with a 23-20 lead, but allowed the Raiders to come back.
• American then had set points at 24-23 and 25-24, but Colgate continued to rally. AU fought off one set point with an Uzen kill to make it 26-26, but a kill and then a block for Colgate put the Raiders on top 28-26 and up 2-0 for the match.
• AU kept it close early in the third set with 10 ties, but Colgate surged ahead for a 20-16 lead. The Eagles made one final push with a couple Berisha kills, but weren't able to close the gap. 

NEXT UP

• American will play Loyola Maryland in its Patriot League home opener at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23.

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).