WASHINGTON – The American University volleyball team hit .381 on the way to a 3-1 victory over Bucknell on Friday night in the final match of the 2026 campaign, securing the regular season title and a bye to the Patriot League Championship Semifinal next week.
Prinzez Zeck had a tremendous night to lead the Eagles, striking 17 kills on a blistering .542 hitting percentage. AU finishes with a 15-1 conference record for the second straight season, hoisting back-to-back regular season championship trophies.
Notable
- Tonight was the fifth time that Zeck has hit double-digit kills with a hitting percentage over .500. The senior middle added three blocks to total 19.5 points.
- Elise Sterling and Carly Sciborski followed behind her to make for a stellar night up front, with Sterling going for 12 kills at a .478 clip and Sciborski with 10 at .526.
- Sophie Dufour logged 10 kills from the outside, along with seven from Salme Hollas, who also led the team in digs with 14.
- Setter Deniz Dakak piloted the attacking effort, dishing out a remarkable 53 assists for the most she's had in just a four set match in her career. She contributed elsewhere as well, recording seven digs, five kills, and a block.
- Libero Bella Marrero took on 13 digs and delivered four assists, committing just one reception error.
How it Happened
Set 1: American 25, Bucknell 16
- It was a confident start for the Eagles, taking the first set comfortably after creating separation early.
- They took their first lead at 2-1 and never lost it, going on a 9-1 run at one point. Hollas, Dakak, Sterling, and Dufour all provided kills on the stretch.
- Sterling and Dufour finished the set with a team-high four kills each. The Eagles hit .410 to open up the match.
Set 2: Bucknell 25, American 20
- The Bison played their best in the second frame, hitting .290 as a team and taking advantage of 11 combined attack and service errors from AU.
- Tied 18-18, Bucknell scored five kills to support a 7-3 run that closed out the stanza. Cameron Lloyd headlined the win with five kills, and Klea Tarja had four.
Set 3: American 25, Bucknell 14
- American had a swift response the third time out, winning by the highest margin of the night.
- AU hit .600 on 16 kills, and Zeck caught fire with seven in the frame.
- The Eagles never trailed, using a 6-0 run midway through and a 7-1 spurt to close it out.
Set 4: American 25, Bucknell 20
- Tied 10-10, the Eagles took four straight points on a Bucknell attack error, a Sciborski and Zeck block, and a kill from Hollas to strengthen their grip on what was the tightest set of the match.
- The Bison answered with a 10-6 run of their own to tie the match 20-20, only for AU to win the final five points.
- Emerson Boyd committed a service error, Dufour found the floor for an ace, and Zeck notched her final two kills of the match between a Bucknell attack error to shut the door.
Up Next
- AU is the #1 seed heading into the Patriot League Championship next week, scheduled to host the semifinal at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.
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