Coach Barry Goldberg picked up career wins 380 and 381, and the AU Volleyball squad remained unbeaten in Patriot League play with convincing victories over Holy Cross and Army at home Friday and Saturday night.
The Eagles swept both matches, 3-0, thanks to outstanding individual performances by sophomore Liz Maloney and senior Courtney Mulford and what Goldberg thinks is a team maturing with every match.
"It was a good weekend for our program, no question," said Goldberg after the matches.
Against Holy Cross, Goldberg was happy to see his team get off to an energetic start.
"We really got into the flow of the match quickly," he said.
Maloney stole the show by tallying 19 kills. In an opening game rout that the Eagles won, 30-13, Maloney drove home seven of her kills. Game was more of the same, as junior Cutrina Biddulph got into the action with four kills on seven swings. The Eagles cruised, 30-14, in that game.
Goldberg was impressed with his team's ability to use its biggest strength, hitting hard and accurate shots, and totally dominate Holy Cross' biggest assets.
"They are a very good defensive team, but we hit the ball harder than they played defense," said Goldberg.
Game 3 was the biggest challenge for the Eagles. After falling behind, 10-5, freshman Carly Barisisch sparked a rally with a kill and three consecutive points to help eventually tie the score. The Eagles left nothing to chance and swept the match with a 30-23 final game.
Mulford, who Goldberg said is the class of the PL setters and a rock for the team, had 38 assists.
"Courtney was a key component," said Goldberg. "She had good command of the tempo of the match."
On Saturday night, the Eagles handed Army its first PL loss of the young season. Senior Erin Allgaier broke the match open for the Eagles with her 14 kills and a .423 hitting percentage.
The Eagles again came out of the blocks strong, hitting .475 as a team in Game 1 en route to a 30-23 win. "We controlled the tempo real well by attacking them," said Goldberg.
Mulford set the tempo with a season-high 41 assists, four kills and three block assists. "Courtney really took charge in the match," said Goldberg. "In both matches this weekend she showed that when she gets her game on, no one in the league can touch her."
Senior Sabrina Vasconcelos was a steady presence on the defensive end with 12 digs. Goldberg was also pleased with the blocking of senior Daria Bobko. "We blocked well against a pretty successful blocking team," said Goldberg.
As the season progresses, Goldberg said, his team needs to continue being aggressive and attacking opponents from the start of matches.
"When we hit the ball like this we could be right there with top teams," he said.
Staying aggressive, rather than sitting back defensively, will be important for AU, one of the biggest teams in the PL in terms of height. "A big team can often be slow," Goldberg said. "When we're big and fast, we're tough to beat."
The Eagles return to the court on Tuesday at Howard for a non-conference match.
