WASHINGTON – Deniz Dakak dished out 51 assists to drive the American University volleyball team to a .297 hitting percentage and a four-set victory over Loyola Maryland on Saturday, while
Sophie Dufour struck 15 kills and hit .393. The Eagles have now won six in a row, and they remain on top of the Patriot League with a 5-0 conference record.
Notable
- The junior setter Dakak added six digs, three aces, and two kills to her active night.
- Tonight was Dufour's most productive performance of the season, coming in just her third match back in action after missing eight due to injury.
- Senior outside hitter Salme Hollas put in another quality effort on both sides of the ball, hitting .286 with 14 kills in addition to seven digs.
- Middle blocker Prinzez Zeck was nearly perfect on the offensive end, making just two errors on 17 attempts to hit .529 with 11 kills. She came up with two blocks as well.
- Elise Sterling added to the middle hitting production, going for 10 kills at a .389 clip. She is now hitting .334 on the season with the second-most attempts on the team at 317.
- Defensively, Bella Marrero took on 14 digs and Alex Ioannou recorded a career-high 12. Marrero also dished three assists and found the floor for two aces.
How it Happened
Set 1: AU 25, Loyola 19
- The Eagles trailed 3-0 in the first set, then took control from there. They went on an 18-7 run to take their largest lead of the match at 18-10. Carly Sciborski had four kills on the spurt, and Sterling had three.
Set 2: AU 25, Loyola 20
- AU never trailed in the second set, as the Eagles struck the ball at their best rate of the night at .400
- Hollas caught fire, putting down eight kills, while Dufour had four, and Zeck and Sterling each had three.
Set 3: Loyola 25, AU 23
- The Greyhounds answered in the third, just edging out the Eagles. They came up with two more blocks than American, and made one less service error in a tight set.
- Trailing for most of the frame, AU made a 5-2 run midway through to tie the score 17-17. However, Loyola finished the set with an 8-6 advantage to take it.
Set 4: AU 25, Loyola 21
- American stayed composed to avoid a fifth set, absorbing an early punch from Loyola in the fourth and bouncing back.
- The Eagles trailed 8-4 early, but went on a 10-5 run to take the lead and never lost it. It was a widespread effort, with Dufour, Zeck, Sciborski, Hollas, and Dakak each notching kills on the stretch. Sterling, Dakak, and Zeck also recorded blocks to stifle a Loyola attack that was gaining confidence.
- The Greyhounds did not fall easily, tightening the score at 23-21 late, but a Dufour kill and Dakak ace ended the match strong for the Eagles.
Up Next
- American is back at home on Sunday to face Navy at 2 p.m
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