In a crosstown non-conference showdown against George Washington Tuesday night, the AU Volleyball team cruised to a 3-1 victory with a potent .302 hitting percentage.
With both teams having reached the midpoint in their seasons, the clash in Bender Arena was important for yearly District bragging rights and recruiting battles.
"Obviously we knew with the crosstown rivalry and all the recruiting battles that it was going to be a good competitive match," said Eagles head coach Barry Goldberg.
In Game 1, the Eagles snuck away with a 30-26 victory on the strength of senior Erin Allgaier and junior standout Cuttrina Biddulph, who combined for 10 of the Eagles' 14 kills while making just one error.
Allgaier, who has played through nagging injuries in both knees all season, said it was nice to show GW, which plays in the larger Atlantic 10 Conference, that the Eagles are the classier program this year.
"When you look at the PL and the A-10, some people would say, 'Oh well' look at the size of the conferences," she said. "This proves we're not just from the PL but that we can compete beyond that level."
The Eagles solidified their position in the match with a 30-16 victory in Game 2 by hitting .402, compared with the Colonials' ineffective .036.
Senior setter Courtney Mulford, who has led the Eagles in assists each match this season, passed beautifully throughout the match to middle and outside hitters Liz Maloney, Allgaier and Chelsa Brooks, giving the Eagles a versatile and unpredictable attack.
"When we can mix it up with our middle and outside hitters, we're a much better team," said Goldberg. "We can't count on Cuttrina for 27 kills every night."
The Eagles were unable to sweep the match, falling 30-28 in Game 3. "We had a bit of a struggle getting going in the game," said Goldberg.
But the Eagles woke up for game 4 and crushed GW with a 30-14 win. Allgaier said it was an important step toward continuing the team's run to a fourth consecutive PL championship. As the team begins the second round of conference play this Thursday against Navy in Bender Arena at 7 p.m.
Looking ahead to the rest of PL play, Allgaier said, "We definitely want to go in and win every match. We really want to win every game. That will help solidify our team and our play and hopefully carry us into the NCAA tournament"
