Though AU volleyball had the opportunity to claim home court advantage for the Patriot League Championship by winning both of their games over the weekend, Army still claimed the regular season title.
The Eagles had two tough road games against conference opponents over the weekend. They needed to win both games and the Black Knights to lose in order for AU to claim the PL regular season.
With a 15-11 record, the volleyball team needed a win at Colgate on Friday. They lost their previous game to Colgate 3-1 on Oct. 3 in Bender Arena. AU got the better of Colgate this time, winning 3-1 and notching their seventh-straight win. After starting the season 0-5, AU had put itself in position to host the tournament.
Senior Claire Recht had a match-high 16 kills with 20 points and junior Magdalena Tekiel had her third triple-double of the season, notching 13 kills, 13 digs and 13 points for the Eagles. The team had a total of 53 kills, four aces and 11 blocks in the road victory. AU won in four sets, 25-13, 25-23, 20-25, 25-16.
With the win, AU improved to 16-11 record overall, 10-3 in the conference and an impressive 6-4 on the road. The Eagles were tied with Colgate after Friday’s game for the second seed in the conference, with both teams having a 10-3 record in PL play.
After playing in upstate New York, the team traveled to Lewisburg, Pa., to play the Bucknell Bison. On Oct. 2, AU beat the Bison 3-0, but this time it was not so easy for the Eagles.
After a tough first set, where the Eagles came back from being down 20-15 to win the set, the Bison cruised in the second set 25-15. AU needed to gain some momentum if they wanted any chance to win the match.
They got that momentum back from senior Cynammon Burns, who opened up the third set with back-to-back service aces, giving AU a 4-0 lead. AU went on to win that set 25-17 and then they carried that momentum into the fourth, winning 25-18. The Eagles had a total of 49 kills, seven aces and 12 blocks in their final regular season game. Tekiel led the team with 12 kills and freshman Krysta Cicala led the team with 41 assists and eight digs.
Bucknell finished its season with an 8-18 record and 4-10 in the conference. With their eighth victory in a row, AU finished 17-11 and 11-3 in conference play. Despite that, they did not win the regular season championship. Army took the championship after beating Lehigh University.
Although AU failed to claim top honors in the regular season, they can redeem themselves with two victories in the Patriot League Tournament. Two wins at West Point would earn them the right to play in the NCAA tournament. AU will play Colgate in the first round, while Army will play Lehigh.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
