ANNAPOLIS, Md. –
The American University volleyball team made quick work of Navy on Friday night, sweeping the Midshipmen to close out a four-match road trip. Middle blockers
Prinzez Zeck and
Elise Sterling highlighted the performance, each putting down 10 kills with an over .500 hitting percentage. With the win, the Eagles move 14-1 in Patriot League play with one match remaining.
Notable
- Zeck hit .571 and added four blocks to a stellar night, while Sterling swung it at a .533 clip and contributed two denials herself.
- Deniz Dakak dished out 33 assists, filling the stat sheet further with six digs, five blocks, three kills, and an ace.
- Sophie Dufour struck eight kills from the outside, along with four digs, three aces, and two assists.
- Salme Hollas notched four kills in addition to eight digs and two blocks.
- Opposite hitter Carly Sciborski also provided four successful swings.
- Libero Bella Marrero led a commanding defensive effort, taking on 12 digs and adding two assists. The Eagles held the Mids to just a .101 hitting percentage.
Set 1: American 25, Navy 22
- The first set was the tightest of the match, and it required a comeback effort from American.
- The Eagles trailed 8-2 after committing three straight errors, but a 7-2 run brought them within one. Sterling notched two kills on the run, while Sciborski, Hollas, and Dufour each added one in addition to a solo block from Dakak.
- The Mids extended their lead a second time at 15-10, but AU answered with a 4-0 spurt to tighten the deficit yet again.
- Trading points from there, the score was eventually tied 21-21 before American took four of the final five points to win it. Dufour and Dakak had back-to-back kills before a Navy service error, then Dakak found Dufour for the set-winning strike.
Set 2: American 25, Navy 16
- The Eagles came out firing after nearly dropping the first set, going on a 10-0 run to put the second set to bed early.
- AU was down 9-7 before taking control with a 17-9 lead. There were just three errors from Navy on the run, with AU forcing the other seven points.
- Sterling and Dufour each had two kills, along with a rare libero kill from Marrero, and Dakak and Sterling shared a block.
- American hit .355 in the set, the team's highest percentage of the match.
Set 3: American 25, Navy 16
- The Eagles closed the match out with another stretch of dominant play, topping the longest run of the match with an 11-0 explosion in the third stanza.
- American faced a 7-4 deficit that turned into a 15-7 lead in a blink. Dufour started the run with a kill and a service ace, then Sciborski and Zeck put down kills. Hollas and Zeck kept it going with a block, the Hollas struck a kill, and Dufour ended the burst with another ace.
- AU hit .333 while shutting the door on the match.
Up Next
- AU is back at home for the regular season finale and Senior Day against Bucknell on Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m.
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