WASHINGTON – In a throttling performance from start to finish, the American University volleyball team hit .413 and averaged 16 kills per set in a sweep of Colgate on Friday night.
Salme Hollas had the hottest hand, hitting .448 with 15 kills to highlight AU's offensive effort, while four different players struck at least seven kills while hitting .300 or better. The Eagles have now won eight in a row, and they remain undefeated in Patriot League play at 7-0.
Notable
- It's the second time this season that Hollas has hit .400 or higher with at least 10 kills, and she added seven digs on the night.
- Sophie Dufour followed behind Hollas with eight kills at a .538 clip, and Sterling also delivered eight at .353.
- Carly Sciborski produced on the opposite side, adding seven kills on a .462 percentage. The senior has now touched at least seven kills at .300 or better in nine of the last ten contests.
- Prinzez Zeck rounded out the attacking side with seven kills as well.
- Deniz Dakak dished 32 assists, contributed seven digs, and added two blocks while driving AU's offense to a dominant night.
- Bella Marrero recorded 13 digs to lead a defensive charge that held Colgate to a .186 hitting percentage, and she provided five assists as well.
- With the win, AU is just one away from 1,000 in program history.
Set 1: American 25, Colgate 18
- It was a scorching first set for American, hitting .500 as a team. Hollas led the way with eight kills, and she hit .727 herself.
- After a brief back-and-forth start, AU grabbed a 10-7 lead following kills from Hollas and Zeck, and then an ace from Ioannou.
- The Eagles kept their foot on the gas out of the timeout, going on a 5-2 run to take a 15-9 lead.
- American remained in control the rest of the way, cruising to the win.
Set 2: American 25, Colgate 19
- AU got out to a 7-1 lead in the second stanza, and led 15-10 at the media timeout after Dufour's third kill.
- The Raiders responded with a 4-1 run out of the break, as AU committed two attack errors and conceded an ace.
- Cleaning up their play, the Eagles went on a 10-4 run to finish the set. Sciborski and Hollas each put down two kills, while Zeck, Sterling, and Dufour each added one more between a block for Sterling.
Set 3: American 25, Colgate 19
- AU trailed 4-1 early in the third frame, but charged ahead with a 12-2 run. Spreading the wealth, six different players had kills on the spurt.
- The Eagles took their largest lead of the match at 21-11 after a Zedo Yilmaz ace. Hollas and Sterling added two more kills before a Colgate service error ended the set and the match.
- AU hit .444 to close out the dominant performance.
Up Next
- The Eagles hit the road for the first time in three weeks tomorrow, traveling to Lewisburg, Pa. for a matchup with Bucknell at 4 p.m.
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