The AU volleyball team got the two wins it needed against Lehigh University and Lafayette University to keep its playoff hopes alive.
The Eagles not only won both matches, but they dominated both opponents. AU beat Lehigh Friday night in straight sets with scores of 25-11, 25-16, 25-21, then continuing its strong play, the Eagles beat Lafayette 25-11, 25-19, 25-7.
“The team is starting to hit around blocks, and [setter] Krysta [Cicala] is getting more and more confident each game,” said Head Coach Barry Goldberg.
In the opening set against Lehigh, the team came out looking strong as they jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. But after a timeout by Lehigh the game settled down and started to look a little more competitive.
AU picked up its play and pulled out to a 13-5 lead, forcing another timeout by Lehigh. After getting the serve at 16-7, junior Magdalena Tekiel aced the Hawks twice and played strong defense to lead the Eagles on a 7-0. It was smooth sailing to the end of the set from there. AU had a very impressive .500 hitting percentage for the set.
Lehigh came out tough in the second set, out to prove they wouldn’t just roll over and give the Eagles the match. Lehigh jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but after the long rally that ended with an Eagles point, AU settled down and reeled off four straight points to level the score at five.
The set was back and forth until the Eagles scored three straight points to take an 18-14 lead. Lehigh provided little resistance from there as AU allowed the Hawks to win only two points in the rest of the set.
Of all of the sets, the third was the closest. Lehigh kept in it early with four straight AU serving errors. AU was finally able to pull away at 20-16 and despite a slight comeback by Lehigh, the margin proved to be too much.
Tekiel, Ann Recht and Angelina Waterman all recorded double-digit kills with Recht providing ten blocks. Cicala contributed 35 assists to the winning effort that also included only nine errors in the match.
“We passed well, the defense played well,” Recht said. “[Cicala]’s sets were on point, it was just a good team effort overall.”
The Eagles returned to the court to face the Lafayette Leopards on Saturday. The game held special significance as the team honored its three graduating seniors Ann Recht, Claire Recht and Cynammon Burns.
After the previous night’s performance that included a strong offensive showing, the defense took center stage. In the first set the Eagles flew out to an 11-3 lead that included a 7-0 run. AU would keep control of the set, winning 25-11.
Lafayette stepped up its play in the second set going toe to toe with the Eagles until a 6-0 run by AU broke a 10-10 tie. After back-to-back errors by AU, the defense stepped up big again to prevent Lafayette from gaining any momentum as AU was able to rally to win the set.
The third and final set was the perfect exclamation point to the weekend as the Eagles completely dominated the set. In the same manner as the first set, AU took advantage of multiple Lafayette errors to jump out to an 11-3 lead. The Eagles then used a 7-0 run to put the match out of reach, taking a 22-6 lead. Junior Angelina Waterman finished off the match for the Eagles with her tenth kill.
Waterman finished with a double-double adding ten digs to her ten kills. The team finished with 30 block assists tying the AU record set back in 1991. The game included five aces and 23 assists by Cicala.
With only five games left until the Patriot League tournament, the Eagles sit in third place. AU is a game behind Colgate and three behind Army. The team will need to finish in the top four to qualify for the league tournament.
“We are working hard and the seniors have a sense of urgency and are leading this team,” Goldberg said. “We want to hear our names on ESPN again.”
AU returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 29 against Navy in Bender Area with the game beginning at 7 p.m.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
