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| Great defense by AU's Kristyna Lindovska (#14) & Carmen Unzue (#20) |
From our friends at AU Athletics...
Eagles Down William & Mary to Open AU Volleyball Classic
Posting its fourth consecutive straight-set victory, the American University volleyball team defeated William & Mary, 25-12, 25-19, 24-14, on the opening night of the AU Volleyball Classic.
Senior Allison Cappellino finished with a match-high eight kills to lead the Eagles. Senior setter Monika Smidova, who hit .556 for the match, added six kills, 26 assists and a match-high 14 digs, while sophomore Erin Swartz recorded six kills and five blocks.
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| Senior Allison Cappellino (#11) led all players with 8 kills |
The Eagles (7-4) opened the first set on a 7-1 run and never looked back, hitting .500 with just one attack error.
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| Senior Monika Smidova (#6) led AU with 26 assists & 14 kills |
William & Mary (5-6) rebounded in the second set, overcoming an early AU lead with a 9-3 run. Although the Tribe pulled ahead briefly, the Eagles used a strong finish to claim the set victory. Meanwhile, American controlled the final set, leading by as many as 12 points before closing out the win.
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| Senior Kristyna Lindovska scored 8.5 points |
"We started out strong, we attacked right from the start," said American head coach Barry Goldberg. "We had some good serving tonight, which was an important aspect."
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| AU Head Coach Barry Goldberg |
The Eagles recorded a season-high eight service aces, led by Smidova with three.
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| Senior Sarah Katz (#8) added 8 digs & 7 points |
"Right now the focus is to have a good morning match against UMBC, a physical team, and then get some rest and come back in the evening for a big match against Virginia," said Goldberg.
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| William & Mary's Sydney Biniak (#19) registered 3 kills |
The Eagles conclude the AU Volleyball Classic with a pair of matches tomorrow, facing UMBC at 11 AM, while taking on Virginia at 7 PM.
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| Clawed Z. Eagle celebrates |
Click here for last night's box score.
