WASHINGTON – Coming off of road wins over Holy Cross and Army to begin Patriot League play last weekend, the American University volleyball team continues the early stages of its conference slate at home on Friday and Saturday. The Eagles first host Lehigh on Friday night, then welcome Lafayette the following afternoon with a chance to start 4-0 in PL competition.
Game Information
- Friday, Sept. 26 vs. Lehigh at 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 27 vs. Lafayette at 4 p.m.
- Location: Meltzer Center, Barry Goldberg Court
- Tickets: AUEagles.com/Tickets
- Where to Watch: Both matches can be watched live on ESPN+.
- Live Stats: HERE
- Talent: Dan Laing and Sam Danai
Series History
- AU is 43-10 all-time against Lehigh, last losing to the Mountain Hawks in 2024.
- Lehigh took American to five sets in D.C. a year ago, but the Eagles came out on top. Prinzez Zeck led the way with a career-high 18 kills, while Deniz Dakak dished out 59 assists.
- AU is 50-1 against Lafayette, having only fallen to the Leopards on the road in 2021 in one of the most lopsided matches in program history. The Eagles lost the first set 25-15, the second set 34-32, and the third set 25-6. 32 points is the third-most points scored in a set in program history (25-point era), and six points is the least.
- American swept Lafayette in 2025, taking all six sets in the two matchups.
What to Know About American: 7-4 (2-0)
- American faced an early test against Holy Cross last Friday, falling down 2-0 to the Crusaders and coming all the way back to complete the reverse sweep.
- The Eagles stared down match point in the fourth set, but freshman Sam McMillan came up with a game-saving kill to keep her team alive. In the fifth set, Zedo Yilmaz came off the bench and served for six straight points to help seal the victory.
- Senior opposite outside hitter Carly Sciborski led the comeback effort, going for 16 kills on a .414 hitting percentage.
- AU carried momentum from the thrilling win into West Point, downing Army 3-0 in the team's most dominant performance of the season. The Eagles hit .427 as a team, with five different players logging at least five kills and hitting .400 or better.
- Salme Hollas was all over the floor, recording a team-leading 10 kills, along with eight digs, three blocks, and two aces.
- Defensively, AU forced the Black Knights to hit just .162 and committed just three reception errors against an Army squad that ranked 19th in the NCAA in aces per set. Bella Marrero totaled 26 digs in her most active match of the season.
- Sciborski has been on a tear as of late, hitting .300 or better with at least seven kills in five straight matches.
- Elise Sterling and Prinzez Zeck have also been excellent up front, with both of them hitting above .300 on the season. Zeck leads the team with 49 blocks as well, and Sterling follows with 39.
- Four different Eagles sit in the top five of at least one major statistical category in the Patriot League: Zeck is third in hitting percentage (.335) and fourth in blocks (49), Sterling is fourth in service aces (17), Bella Marrero is third in digs (170), and Dakak's 412 assists lead the conference by over 100.
What to Know About Lehigh: 9-1 (2-0)
- Lehigh is off to a confident start this season, dropping just seven sets through their first 10 games.
- The Mountain Hawks are coming off straight-set victories over Bucknell and Lafayette last weekend at home. Senior outside hitter Alysia Fingall led the way with 26 points over the two matches, recording 20 kills, seven blocks, and an ace.
- Fingall leads the team with 89 kills, which sits tied for ninth in the PL.
- Senior right side Natalie Luscomb returns as Lehigh's only All-PL selection last season, earning a spot on the Second Team. So far this year, she sits fifth on the team in kills with 62.
- Junior libero Sophia Bond leads the Mountain Hawks defensively, sitting at eighth in the PL in digs with 120 and 3.43 per set.
- Lehigh's most notable win in non-conference play came over West Virginia of the Big 12, taking down the Mountaineers in five sets in Morgantown.
- The Mountain Hawks come into Friday hitting a conference-leading .274 as a team.
- Lehigh is led by first-year head coach Shawn McLaughlin.
What to Know About Lafayette: 6-6 (0-2)
- Lafayette is coming off losses to Bucknell and Lehigh last weekend, taking the Bison to five sets before coming up short. Junior outside Auma Mbeche-Odhiambo put down 15 kills, but the Leopards hit just .057 in the contest.
- While Lafayette's offense has struggled, the Leopards have been strong on the defensive side of the net. They've held opponents to a .190 hitting percentage, the second-best in the conference.
- Freshman Noa Kamphuis leads the PL in blocks with 57 and 1.24 per set, while fellow freshman Alyssa Chu's 204 digs sit at the top of the PL leaderboard.
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