The Patriot League championship is just two weeks away and the AU women's volleyball team is red hot, winning nine straight sets over a three-day span.
AU beat North Carolina Central University Thursday, beat Lehigh University Friday and beat Lafayette College Saturday, all by a score of 3-0. Thursday's home victory was AU's 17th straight at Bender Arena. Senior Christina Nash had her second straight double-double with 34 assists and 10 digs.
"It took us a little while to get going tonight but we rebounded and found our rhythm," Head Coach Barry Goldberg told AUEagles.com. The Eagles hit the road with conviction, rolling into Lehigh with a flurry of aces. AU recorded a season high 19 aces, including 12 from junior Ivana Cebakova, a AU single-match record.
"We had a great match serving tonight, especially Ivana Cebakova," Goldberg told AUEagles.com. "We didn't have many opportunities offensively because our serve was so good but I think overall we played a good match."
The next day, AU dispatched Lafayette in Easton, Pa. The Eagles hit a combined .370 in the win, including a perfect 7-of-7 effort from Claire Recht and tallied 10 service aces. The win improved AU to 12-0 for the season.
AU won the first two sets, 25-14 and 25-18, but the third set did not come as easy. The Eagles fell behind early, trailing by six points, 8-2. AU would not take the lead until 17-16, but it was short lived after Lafayette ran the score to 21-18, Leopards.
The Eagles answered as Nash scored a kill and two straight aces to retie the score at 21. AU seized the set after a Cassandra Ricketts kill put the Eagles ahead, 24-23, and yet another Cebakova ace gave them match point, 25-23.
AU will travel to Holy Cross Friday and Army on Saturday to end the regular season. The Eagles have a one-match lead in the PL standings over the Black Knights, and their match could determine which school hosts the league tournament.
You can reach this staff writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
