The volleyball team sent Tuesday night its seniors off with a bang, defeating Virginia Commonwealth 3-0 during the Eagle Senior Night game.
The Eagles came out hard in game one, scoring the first three points. The VCU Rams applied steady pressure on the Eagles. The lead continuously bounced back and forth between the teams until the end of the game when senior Chelsa Brooks finished off a 30-25 victory with an ace. This would be the closest the Rams would get to defeating the Eagles.
In game two, the Eagles jumped out to an early 9-3 lead that forced the Rams to take a time-out. AU went on to win the game 30-17 on the strength of a .387 team hitting percentage and a defense that held the Rams to a -.054 hitting percentage.
Senior Logan Striebel opened game three with an ace as the Eagles continued their hot pace from game two. With the help of another stifling defensive performance that held VCU to a .068 hitting percentage, AU swept the Rams right out of the building.
Junior Rubena Sukaj contributed to a memorable night with 18 kills, three assists, seven digs and six blocks. Sophomore Claire Recht also lent a helping hand, hitting a .444 with four kills and eight block assists.
Seniors Brooks, Striebel and Tara Stradling finished their last regular-season home game in style. Stradling had 17 assists and three digs. Striebel had two aces and three digs, and Brooks had five kills, three digs and a block assist.
The three seniors were honored in a pregame ceremony that recognized their contributions over the past four years.
Coach Larry Goldberg said the seniors have greatly contributed to the team in their years at AU.
"It's been a great experience having these girls be a part of the program," said Goldberg. "I hope they feel the same way."
Goldberg also acknowledged that the team still focuses on the task at hand - going to the Patriot League Tournament.
The volleyball team can extend its home schedule if it defeats Lehigh tomorrow and Lafayette Saturday. If the Eagles can defeat both teams, they are guaranteed home advantage for the PL championships, something they have done ever since they joined the PL.
