The American University volleyball team returned to Bender arena last Wednesday night, hungry for a win. After losing three games on the road, the Eagles protected their undefeated home record against the Morgan State Bears 3-0 in a match sweep.
The match opened with a service ace from senior Maya Mrus. The Eagles used that momentum to go on a four point run against the Bears.
Morgan State was able to stay in the game, going on a four point run of their own and catching the Eagles at 4-4. The Bears were not able to stay caught up for long, with AU going on another run that created a lead Morgan State couldn't catch up to for the rest of the set.
A 6-0 run from the Eagles that included two kills from junior Katie Putney put the Bears away 25-17 in the first set.
The second set started with an early four point lead for the Eagles, aided by two kills from senior Zeynep Uzen. With the help of two service aces from senior Inbal Peleg, AU found themselves seven points ahead of Morgan State.
With a straight eight point run, American was able to grow their 12 point lead to a 25-12 win over Morgan State and secure a second set victory for the Eagles.
Uzen reached her 1,000th career kill during the set, becoming the 15th player in AU history to reach the milestone.
“I’m proud of myself, proud of my team and proud of my coaches,” Uzen said about her accomplishment.
The third set was the most competitive, tying eight times before the Eagles took the lead. American reached set point with a kill from junior Allie Burke, and an attack error from Morgan State solidified both the set victory and the 3-0 match sweep.
Graduate student Carlie Fiske and Putney contributed 10 and eight kills respectively with zero errors. Fiske hit an impressive .769 and Putney hit .667. Burke led all players with six blocks, while Putney added four for AU. American had nine service aces, with four contributed by Peleg and three from Mrus, who also led the team with 14 digs.
“All the matches we have played prior to this, have all been warm up for the league. The league sends you to the NCAA tournament, the league sends you home because you weren’t good enough. The season is really starting this Friday.” Goldberg said.
The Eagles now have a 7-3 record overall and are undefeated at home. AU is now 28-0 all-time against Morgan State.
