Led by a strong attack and dominating court presence, the AU women's volleyball team won their sixth straight Patriot League championship title on Saturday night, defeating Bucknell in three straight sets - 30-22, 30-21 and 30-20.
The Eagles looked nervous early in the first match, falling into an early 2-0 hole before regaining their composure and control of the game. As a team, American had 19 kills and a game-high .366 hitting percentage in a match that proved to be the closest threat Bucknell posed all night.
The Eagles rolled to an easy victory from there, outhitting the Bison in each of the next two sets, posting a .317 hitting percentage in the second match and a .314 in the third, to Bucknell's .067 and .091, respectively.
Sophomore Rubena Sukaj and freshman Ann Recht led the Eagle defense with 28 kills between them. Senior captain Elizabeth Maloney, junior Chelsa Brooks and freshman Ivana Cebakova had eight kills apiece, helping the Eagles to 56 kills on the night, over twice as many as the Bison registered with 27.
The Eagles had defeated Lafayette the night before, sweeping the Leopards in three straight to take the semi-final round on Friday. American grabbed an easy win with scores of 30-21, 30-17 and 30-18, respectively, to move onto the final round on Saturday against Bucknell, who had beat Army in the semifinals to earn a championship berth.
AU's Maloney was named the tournament MVP, registering eight kills, eight digs, three blocks and an ace in the final round.
"We started off a little shaky, but we pulled through," said Maloney of the team's performance. "I think we played together and finished really strong."
The Eagles also had three players named to the All-PL Tournament team, with sophomore Christina Nash joining teammates Recht and Sukaj for the honor.
The win marks American's sixth volleyball Patriot League title. The Eagles have now won the title every year since joining the league in 2000.
"You never get used to it, believe me," said AU head coach Barry Goldberg, who was named Patriot League Volleyball Coach of the Year, of the win. "Overall our team has been powerful all year. We've out-spiked and out-attacked everyone in the league and been successful in stopping other teams."
"We're on a nice streak here, but everyday is different," he added. "We're not going to worry about the past, we're just looking toward the future. We are anticipating a nice draw for the [NCAA] tournament, and hopefully this year we'll be prepared"
