Bella Marrero celebrating a point.
Josh Markowitz
3
Winner American Americ 19-4,12-1 Patriot
1
Colgate Colg 16-8,11-2 Patriot
Winner
American Americ
19-4,12-1 Patriot
3
Final
1
Colgate Colg
16-8,11-2 Patriot
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
American Americ 23 25 25 25 (3)
Colgate Colg 25 20 21 18 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Volleyball Takes Down Colgate 3-1, Takes First Place in the Patriot League

HAMILTON, N.Y. - After dropping the first set of Saturday night's match, the American University volleyball team took control of the contest and won three straight sets to defeat Colgate 3-1. Prinzez Zeck pounded 15 kills in the win, and Deniz Dakak provided 44 assists and 15 digs for a double-double. The result puts American in first place in the Patriot League and in the driver's seat toward the number one seed in the PL Tournament with just three matches left in the regular season. 

Notable
  • Zeck hit an outstanding .519 and added six block assists to her stellar performance. The junior middle blocker has been excellent for the Eagles, now hitting .366 on the year and sitting at fourth in the Patriot League in blocks with 90.
  • Dakak contributed on the offensive end as well, finding the floor for five kills and hitting .500. 
  • Salme Adeele Hollas and Sophie Dufour nearly put up the same stat line, both with 13 digs. Dufour had eight digs, while Hollas had seven in a strong showing from AU's two outside hitters. 
  • Bella Marrero was sensational on the defensive side, logging 13 digs that included some acrobatic point-saving plays. She added six assists and two service aces to her quality night. 
  • Alex Ioannou was also in double-digits in digs with 11, dishing out two assists and scoring an ace as well. 
  • The Eagles had just six reception errors to 10 for Colgate, and served up 10 aces to six for the Raiders. 
How it Happened
  • The first set slipped away from the Eagles, with Colgate pulling off a comeback to overcome a 20-17 deficit late. The Raiders went on an 8-4 run to take the set 25-23. 
  • From there, AU was in control. The Eagles jumped out to a 16-8 lead in the second set, led by four kills from Hollas and three from Dufour. 
  • Trailing 20-12, Colgate made a run to cut the lead as low as four at 22-18, but two kills from Zeck and another from Hollas sealed the set 25-18 for American. 
  • AU continued to command the match in the third set, again grabbing an early lead at 8-2. 
  • American's defense began to shine, as Bella Marrero made a heroic play on set point with her team in front 24-21.
  • In the middle of a long and chaotic rally, she dove to an offspeed attack attempt from Frances Torres and slipped her hand under the ball just before it hit the floor. With the point still alive, Elise Sterling came up with a block to finish it off and give the Eagles loads of momentum heading into the fourth set. 
  • AU never trailed in the final frame, powering to the victory behind six kills from Zeck. She was involved in American's final four points, with a block and three kills to end it at 25-18.
  • Ioannou added another spectacular defensive moment, sprawling to a well-placed attacked from Carlie Rzeszotarski and getting the ball to Deniz Dakak, who dumped a kill. 
Up Next 
  • The Eagles are back in D.C. for their final home match of the season on Friday, Nov. 7 at 6 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).
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