WORCESTER, Mass. – It took a resilient effort from the American University volleyball team to defeat Holy Cross on Friday night, as the Eagles trailed two sets to none and faced a match point before storming back into the contest and earning a 3-2 win. It was a career night for junior opposite hitter
Carly Sciborski, who led the way with 16 kills on a .414 hitting percentage.
Notable
- Sciborski has been on a tear as of late, hitting .300 or better with at least eight kills for a fourth straight match.
- She was followed by 15 kills from Salme Hollas, 10 from Elise Sterling, and Prinzez Zeck hit .750 with nine successful swings.
- Deniz Dakak logged her sixth double-double of the year, dishing 44 assists with 11 digs to drive American's offense.
- Bella Marrero was stellar defensively, recording 26 digs, just three away from tying a career-high.
- Zedo Yilmaz made her first appearance of the season, and made a major impact from the service area. In the fifth set with her team trailing 8-6, the Eagles scored five straight points with her at the service line, including two aces.
- AU is now 1-0 in Patriot League play.
How it Happened
Set 1
- AU got out to a 6-1 lead, but the Crusaders responded well, scoring six points in a row on a stretch to take a 13-11 advantage. Five of the six points were errors committed by AU.
- It was punch-for-punch from that point forward, with the lead changing hands three times. Tied at 20, Holy Cross finished the set on a 5-2 run to win the set.
- Sciborski put down six kills to start her night.
Set 2
- The Crusaders played their best set of the match, never trailing and hitting .419 to blow past AU.
- The Eagles trailed just 18-16 after a kill by Sterling, but Holy Cross remained in control and closed the set with a 7-2 run.
Set 3
- American built a large lead early on for the second time, starting the set on an 8-1 run. Holy Cross again responded, knotting the score at 11-11.
- Eventually trailing 14-11, the Eagles were staring down the barrel of a sweep, but responded with a 4-1 spurt with kills from Sciborski, Sterling, and Hollas.
- Locked again later at 21-21, McMillan downed back-to-back kills, and Sciborski finished the frame with one of her own.
Set 4
- The Eagles flipped the momentum of the match in the fourth set, trailing 17-12 and coming back to win it.
- A 6-1 run tied the score 18-18, highlighted by kills from Dakak, Zeck, and Hollas, but the home side responded with three straight tallies.
- After crucial kills from Zeck, Sciborski, and Hollas, along with a service ace from Hollas, AU faced match point at 24-23.
- Freshman Sam McMillan then came up with her most significant kill of the season to tied the set at 24 apiece. Sterling followed with a service ace, and Hollas provided the final kill to force a fifth frame.
Set 5
- With American trailing 8-5, Sciborski swung for a kill to cut the lead and put Yilmaz at the service line. The junior who hadn't played since last October due to injury sparked five straight points to silence a loud start for the Crusaders. Hollas and Sterling shared a block, Hollas had a kill, and Yilmaz found the floor for two aces.
- Leading 10-8, the Eagles controlled the rest of the set. Sciborski put down her 16th kill of the night to win it 15-12.
Up Next
- The Eagles will travel to West Point, New York for a matchup with Army on Saturday, Sept. 19. First serve is set for 4 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).
