WASHINGTON - The American University volleyball team dominated its way to a 3-0 sweep of Bucknell on Saturday afternoon, hitting .403 and committing just one reception error on the day, The Eagles clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament with the result, and have now won 10 matches in a row.
Notable
- The only other match in which AU has posted better number on the receiving end was also against Bucknell, when the Eagles posted zero errors in Lewisburg on Oct. 3. Bella Marrero led the effort today with eight digs, while Alex Ioannou and Sophie Dufour had six apiece.
- Dufour led American in kills with 12, hitting .364 and adding a service ace. She also had two block assists to earn 14 points.
- Hollas followed Dufour with 10 kills and four digs, hitting .450 and putting down two aces.
- The Eagles had their best day of the season from the service area, finding the floor for 13 aces. Ioannou and Sterling led the way with four each.
- Deniz Dakak continues her torrid pace at setter, delivering 31 assists. The sophomore leads the Patriot League with 764 on the year.
- Today's result marks AU's 12th sweep of the season.
- American holds sole possession of second place in the Patriot League, trailing only Colgate. The Eagles will have a chance to jump into first place when they face the Red Raiders next Saturday.
How it Happened
- American jumped out to an early lead in the first set and never let the Bison close the gap. With the score 3-3, the Eagles went on a 13-5 run to grab their largest lead of the frame at 15-8.
- From there, Hollas, Sterling, Dufour, and Carly Sciborski combined for seven kills in addition to service aces from Dakak and Dufour to close it out. AU hit .480 in the set for its highest number of the day.
- The second set nearly mirrored the first, with American going on a 14-7 run in the early going to hold a commanding eight-point lead at 17-9.
- The Eagles cruised to a 25-13 win, highlighted by five blocks that contributed to Bucknell's -.240 hitting percentage in the set. Zeck, Dakak, Dufour, and Sterling all had denials.
- The Bison hung with AU for longer in the third set, narrowing what was a five-point lead down to one at 16-15. The Eagles answered with a surge to the finish line, winning nine of the final 13 points to take it 25-18.
- Dufour was red hot in the set, delivering seven kills.
Up Next
- The Eagles hit the road for a crucial two-match weekend next week, beginning with a contest against Army on Friday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. They'll stay in the state of New York to try and knock off Colgate on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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).
