AU volleyball played George Washington University and Georgetown University in a weekend tournament, losing both contests 3-1.
The Lady Eagles played a better game against George Washington than against Georgetown. Despite losing three of four sets to GW, the Eagles were never behind by double digits. GW had 8.5 blocks to AU's 4.0, and it was the major difference-maker in the game.
It was a hard-fought battle, as the teams remained close throughout. With the lead going back and forth through the first set, a 12-9 GW advantage may have been enough to pace the Colonials to a first set victory. However, behind the strong play of Juniors Angelina Waterman and Magdalena Tekiel, AU was able to come back and tie the first set at 21. After a GW error gave AU a 23-22 lead, the Eagles did not look back and took the first set 25-22.
Despite keeping things at arm's length, the Eagles could never pull out a set win. In the second set AU trailed by as many as five points but still came back to take a 16-15 lead later in the set. GW still came out on top 25-23, thanks to a strong play from senior right-side hitter Katie Butz, who finished the game with a team-high 16 kills.
The third and fourth sets were much of the same as AU cut an eight point lead in the third to just three before GW pulled taking the set 25-21. In the fourth, AU again played comeback after trailing 19-15. But after tying the game at 19, GW pulled away for the victory as GW Junior Leah Hill got the kill to win the match.
"[GW] seemed pretty experienced at exploiting a few of our weaknesses," AU head coach Barry Goldberg said. "Overall their block was a little bit stronger and the defensive end ended up being the difference to me."
With the losses, AU moves to 0-3 on the season. The team was projected to finish first in the Patriot League. That outcome is still possible, since all of their losses have been in their non-conference schedule.
"We're not really used to losing the first two matches of the season," said Cynammon Burns, senior defensive specialist. "I think it will be different once we get that first win under our belt and gain confidence in ourselves and each other."
With three months left in the season the Eagles have the opportunity to rebound off of their slow start. Their next three matches are in Portland for a three game road swing.
You can reach this staff writer at slindauer@theeagleonline.com.
