WASHINGTON - In a tightly contested match with 30 ties and 20 lead changes that saw three sets go to extra points, the American University volleyball team prevailed in four sets against Army West Point to complete a weekend sweep that wraps up the first half of the Patriot League schedule. Led by three players who posted double-doubles, the Eagles won 26-24, 30-28, 25-27, and 25-18 to improve to 16-4 overall and 6-2 in the conference.
Notable
- Freshman Zedo Yilmaz recorded her ninth double-double with a match-high 18 kills along with 15 digs, two aces, and two blocks.
- AU got strong and efficient hitting from freshman Elise Sterling with eight kills on 14 attempts and only one error (.500), with Sterling also posting four blocks.
- Senior setter Esma Sipahi hit .353, coming just three kills shy of a triple-double with a stat line of 46 assists, 14 digs and seven kills.
- Junior Adelina Berisha posted double-double number seven of the season with 14 kills and 15 digs.
- Senior Lilou Stegeman tallied eight blocks for a second time this season while also recording 10 kills.
- Freshman libero Bella Marrero led AU with 23 digs, and senior Bridget Javitch added 10.
- Sophomore Sofia Osterdahl put up five blocks to go with nine kills.
How it Happened
- The teams were tied eight times in the opening set, setting the tone for what would be a true battle most of the way. The Eagles had a 20-14 lead before Army rattled off five straight points, and later tied the score at 23-23.
- The Black Knights earned the first set point but a Stegeman-Osterdahl block erased it and led to a 24-24 tie. After an Army attack error, Stegeman, who was the hero several times in a close match at Lehigh one night prior, ended the set with a kill for the 26-24 win.
- In the second set, Army raced out to a 7-2 lead and still had AU on its heels at 14-9. From there, Javitch served out a strong run that put the Eagles on top 16-15.
- AU went on to lead by as many as four at 21-17, and still led by three at 24-21. Army fought off three set points, but then became the aggressor as American was forced to fight off four set points.
- Osterdahl came up with kills on two of those, and then a string of three kills from Yilmaz, Berisha and Sipahi finally ended the set 30-28.
- The third set was the tightest of all with 11 ties and appeared to be anyone's to win. AU had a chance at 24-23 to take the match, but Army closed on a 4-1 run to stay in it with the 27-25 victory.
- Finally, in set number four, AU hit .326 to Army's .156 and built a strong lead by the midway point.
- The Eagles got five kills from Osterdahl just in the fourth set, and committed only one team error while posting 16 kills in a dominant, 25-18 set win for the match.
Next Up
- The Eagles face Army yet again in their next match, but this time in West Point, N.Y. It will be American's only match of the week, and is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19.
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