WASHINGTON - It took seven match points across two sets, but there was no quit in the American University volleyball team as the Eagles outlasted three-time reigning Patriot League champion Colgate in a thrilling, extra-points fifth set. AU won 3-2 at home for a second year in a row against the Raiders, and the two teams are now tied for second place in the PL standings at 9-2.

Notable

• Junior Adelina Berisha added 11 digs to 18 kills for her 10th double-double of the season, and posted an incredible seven kills in just the shortened fifth set.
• For the 11th time this season, freshman Zedo Yilmaz also had a double-double with a team-high 19 kills along with 13 digs.
• Senior Lilou Stegeman tied her season high with 10 blocks while also posting eight kills, seven digs, and hitting .353.
• Senior setter Esma Sipahi was one kill shy of a triple-double with a very impressive performance. She added 10 digs and nine kills to 54 assists, also recording four blocks and hitting .600 for the match. Making her stat line even more notable, Sipahi served up a season-high five aces.
• Freshman Elise Sterling was perfect on her attack attempts as well, hitting .474 with nine kills on 19 attempts with zero errors.
• The Eagles had five players reach double figures in digs, led by freshman Bella Marrero with 19. Marrero also served up four aces.

How it Happened 

• The Eagles limited their errors in a solid first set, hitting .222 to Colgate's .071 and winning 25-20.  They were up by two at 21-19 but closed out on a 4-1 run that included back-to-back kills for Sterling.
• AU had a 13-10 lead in the second set before Colgate rallied to pull ahead and the Eagles were chasing the rest of the way. There were four ties between 14-14 and 20-20, but from there the Raiders got some momentum for a 25-22 win.
• American led from the first point all the way through the third set, closing with a 5-0 run. Yilmaz started the run with back-to-back kills, and Stegeman ended it the same way after an ace for Marrero in between.
• The Eagles made a huge comeback in the fourth set before eventually losing 30-28. They trailed by six on three occasions, the last at 15-9 before an 10-3 run gave AU a lead at 19-18.
• AU ended up with a match point at 24-23 and another at 26-25, but Colgate's Abby Shadwick responded with a kill both times.
• The Eagles then staved off two set points for the Raiders, the second on a Sterling kill, but Colgate went on to win 30-28 to stay alive in the match.
• Berisha accounted for four of AU's first five points in the fifth set, which saw 12 ties and five lead changes.
• The Eagles never faced match point in the fifth, but had four of them thwarted by Colgate before finally stringing two points together with a Sofia Osterdahl kill followed by a Colgate attack error.
• AU's celebration was cut short by a Colgate challenge, one of seven challenges in a nearly three-hour match, but it was unsuccessful and the Eagles were able to celebrate once again.

Next Up

• The Eagles are on the road for two matches next weekend, heading to Lafayette on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and to Bucknell on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m.

Keep Up With Us

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