WASHINGTON - The final three matches of the regular season are all in Bender Arena for American University volleyball, and the Eagles (20-5, 10-3) will host Loyola Maryland and Navy in the homestretch this weekend. The first meeting with both teams resulted in road sweeps for AU, who will look for a season sweep of Loyola Maryland (9-13, 7-6) on Friday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. and a season sweep of Navy (4-18, 4-9) on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
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 Loyola Maryland 39-5 all-time, but four of the Greyhounds' five all-time wins have come in the last five seasons.
- Loyola Maryland and American played three times in 2023, with AU going 2-1 including a Patriot League quarterfinal sweep. Earlier this season, the Eagles beat the Greyhounds in straight sets on the road in Baltimore.
- The teams split regular-season meetings in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
- American leads the all-time series with Navy, 53-8. The Mids had won four in a row until the second meeting of 2023 when AU got the 3-0 sweep.
- The Eagles have now made it two straight after another sweep of Navy on the road on Sept 21.
What to Know About American
- With a loss at Bucknell, the Eagles moved back down to third place in the Patriot League standings at 10-3. AU has a three-game lead on fourth-place Lehigh, and will not play either first-place Bucknell or second-place Colgate again.
- The next American win will be the 100th victory in head coach Ahen Kim's career. He has 40 wins at AU, and brough in 59 wins from his four active seasons at Brown.
- Prior to a 1-1 weekend at Lafayette and Bucknell, AU earned a thrilling, five-set victory against Colgate on Oct. 26. It was the second straight year the Eagles beat the Raiders at home.
- AU's 20-5 overall record is its best since the 2013 team finished at 34-3 overall. That PL champion team advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen with wins over Georgia and Duke.
- Freshman outside hitter Zedo Yilmaz has set a new program record with six Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors already this season. She is the reigning ROW after averaging 4.17 kills per set and 2.17 digs per set at Lafayette and Bucknell.
- For the second time this season, AU swept the Patriot League Weekly Awards on Oct. 29. Senior setter Esma Sipahi was named the PL Player of the Week for a second time, while Yilmaz was PL Rookie of the Week for a fifth time before her latest honor. The Eagles have won a total of 10 PL weekly honors so far, tying their all-time record of 10 in 2008 and 2010.
- 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 2,835 assists. Her 9.99 assists per set lead the Patriot League.
- Yilmaz is a freshman who doesn't play like one. To go with her six Rookie of the Week honors, Yilmaz leads the PL with 4.11 points per set and ranks third with 3.49 kills per set.
- Three freshmen are now regulars in the starting lineup for AU. In addition to Yilmaz and Sterling, who have started in every match, Bella Marrero (3.08 digs per set) earned the starting libero spot after the first few weeks of the season.
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
