FAIRFAX, Va. - It was a thrilling finish to a long match for American University volleyball, as the Eagles went back and forth with George Mason before pulling out a comeback victory on the road in the fifth set. American (2-0) trailed 14-11 in the final set before coming back to win it, 17-15 against the Patriots (0-1).

By the Numbers

• AU took the first set 25-18, lost the second 25-21 but came back to take the third 25-23. Mason rallied to win the fourth, 25-21, and looked strong in the fifth before an outstanding final rally by the Eagles.
• Zeynep Uzen recorded her first double-double of the season with 21 kills to go with 11 digs, and hit .300 in the match. With 1,280 career kills, she now stands just five kills away from tying for seventh place all-time at AU.
• Another double-double came from setter Esma Sipahi with 17 digs and 45 assists. The assists marked a new career high, while her 17 digs tied her previous high.
• Libero Bridget Javitch tallied a career-high 26 digs to lead all players in the match.
• Adelina Berisha and Holly Hopkins posted 13 kills and 12 kills, respectively, with Berisha hitting .300.
• Lilou Stegeman made an impact with five kills on 10 attempts with zero errors, and also tied Carlie Fikse for the team lead with three blocks.

Notable

• Uzen was the catalyst for a huge early lead in the match, as she put down four kills during a 7-0 run for the Eagles to start the first set.
• By the end of the opening set, Uzen had nine kills, with her ninth coming as AU took the set 25-18.
• After hitting .256 as a team in the first set, the offense cooled off in the second and went cold in the final stretch.
• The Eagles had a 21-20 lead in the second set before Mason ended it with a 5-0 run to tie the match at 1-1. The Patriots' Gabriella Gelfound posed three of her four second-set kills in that final run.
• AU trailed 23-20 in the third set before closing out on a 5-0 run that included two kills by Hopkins, who would later end the match with another.
• Mason surged ahead early in set four and the Eagles were never able to catch up, leading to a fifth and final set.
• Things looked out of hand for AU, down 14-11 and facing three match points, but the Eagles were up to the task.
• The 6-1 run that closed out the match included two kills apiece from Berisha and Hopkins.

Next Up

• American will return home to host Georgetown in the annual Bender Blue Out match at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27.

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).