WASHINGTON - Five of the final seven regular season matches will be at home in Bender Arena for American University volleyball, starting with a weekend slate of Holy Cross on Friday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. and league-leading Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. Past Eagles will be recognized on Friday night for Alumnae Day.
Concessions at Bender Arena
Gregorio's Trattoria is providing food concessions at all home volleyball matches in Bender Arena.
- Fans can enjoy Gregorio's favorites including menu selections of pizza, chicken fingers, hot dogs, chips, desserts and more, as well as a full selection of refreshing Pepsi products.
- Credit cards and EagleBuck$ are accepted.
- NO outside food or beverages are permitted into Bender Arena.
Inside the Series
- American leads Holy Cross 44-1 in the all-time series and the Eagles swept the Crusaders earlier this season on Sept. 28.
- The Crusaders' first and only victory against AU was in the 2018 season, and since then the Eagles have gone 9-0 including a 3-1 road win and a 3-0 home win last year.
- The all-time series between AU and Colgate has the Eagles leading 44-13, but the Raiders have won nine of the last 10 matches between the two teams including a 3-1 loss at Colgate on Sept. 27.
- The Eagles also fell 3-1 on the road last season before claiming their first victory in eight tries with a thrilling, 3-2 home win on Oct. 15. Colgate had the final say, sweeping AU in the championship match of the 2023 PL Tournament.
- Either Colgate or American has won the Patriot League championship 12 times in the last 14 years (since 2010). The only two years neither team hoisted the trophy during that time were 2020-21 (Army) and 2018 (Navy). Colgate and American have met in the conference championship six times during that span, with each team winning three times.
- The two teams have combined for 24 Patriot League championships (American 16, Colgate 8), ranking first and second in the league, respectively.
What to Know About American
- The Eagles are solidly in third place in the Patriot League standings at 7-2, two games up on the Lehigh in fourth place. AU's only losses have come against Colgate (8-1) and Bucknell (7-1) who are tied for first.
- Senior setter Esma Sipahi was last week's PL Player of the Week after leading AU to a pair of dramatic, four-set victories against Lehigh and Army. She averaged 11.38 assists along with 3.13 digs per set, and came within three kills of a triple-double in the win over Army.
- Sipahi, the 2023 PL Setter of the Year and 2024 PL Preseason Setter of the Year, passed the 2,000-assist milestone in a win vs. UC Riverside on Aug. 31, and now ranks seventh all-time in program history with 2,699 assists. Her 9.91 assists per set lead the Patriot League.
- Freshman outside hitter Zedo Yilmaz earned four of the first five Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors (Sept. 3, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1). She is among the PL leaders in points (2nd, 4.02 per set), and kills (3rd, 3.40 per set).
- Three freshmen are now regulars in the starting lineup for AU. In addition to Yilmaz, middle blocker Elise Sterling (.349 hitting percentage) has started in every match, and Bella Marrero (2.99 digs per set) earned the starting libero spot after the first few weeks of the season.
- The Eagles have won a total of seven PL weekly honors so far, just three shy of their all-time record of 10 in 2008 and 2010.
- Senior middle blocker Lilou Stegeman ranks second in the PL with a hitting percentage of .359, and ranks sixth with 1.07 blocks per set. She's having a breakout season after tearing her ACL upon her transfer from UAlbany in 2022. She was solid as a junior, but has already surpassed her kill total of 106 from last year (now with 182).
- Senior libero Bridget Javitch passed the 1,000-dig milestone during AU's weekend at the Campbell Invitational, and now ranks in a tie for sixth all-time in program history with 1,099 digs.
- American is leading the Patriot League in kills per set (13.16) and assists per set (12.37).
Single Match Ticket Information
- Adult: $8
- Youth (3-14)/Senior (65+) : $5
- Military and Veterans : Free (must present a valid ID)
Keep Up With Us
