This past weekend the AU volleyball team traveled to Blacksburg, Va., to play Virginia Tech, the University of Tennessee and Seton Hall University in the Hokie Classic. The Eagles (4-6) failed to win any of the three games, losing in straight sets in all three and dropping below .500 on the season.
The Eagles lost their opening match of the Hokie Classic on Friday against Virginia Tech by set scores of 25-22, 25-21 and 25-15. The first two sets were competitive, with each team trading kills until the Hokies (5-4) began to pull away. Virginia Tech dominated the third set as the Eagles struggled to get their attack going.
Freshman Sara Rishell led the Eagles with 10 kills while Morgan Hendrix had seven. Setter Alexandra Hammer finished the game with 21 assists. For the Hokies, Justine Record and Cara Baarendse led the team with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Erin Leaser set up 31 assists.
Tennessee cruises to victory
The Eagles took on the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in their second game of the weekend, and the Lady Vols (7-2) notched a straight set victory with set scores of 25-14, 25-13 and 25-16.
No Eagle recorded double digit kills in the contest. Hendrix posted six kills while Rishell and Megan Rosburg tallied four apiece. Monika Smidova led the Eagles with 12 assists and had 11 digs defensively. Tennessee was led by DeeDee Harrison with 10 kills and Mary Pollmiller with 28 assists.
Eagles fall to Seton Hall
The final game of the series pitted the Eagles against Seton Hall (4-5), and the Pirates won by scores of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-15.
Hendrix led the team with 11 kills and Juliana Crum finished with eight. Defensively, Hammer led AU with 10 digs while Rosburg registered six.
In the opening set, the Pirates jumped out to an early 7-2 lead before prevailing 25-20. In the second, the Eagles were able to score eight unanswered points to give them a 15-14 lead midway through the set. However, the Pirates were able to come back for the 25-21 win and take a critical 2-0 advantage. The final set saw the Pirates jump out to a quick lead and cruise to a 25-15 victory.
Of the four teams in the tournament, Tennessee finished with the best record. The Lady Vols swept Seton Hall and AU, and defeated host Virginia Tech 3-1. The Hokies finished the weekend at 2-1, Seton Hall finished at 1-2 and the Eagles at 0-3.
Eagles struggling in non-conference play
Despite entering the tournament on a two-game winning streak, the Eagles have struggled through a tough nonconference schedule. After the graduation of the top players from last year’s squad, AU has lost six games on the season, which is double the amount of losses from last year.
The road for the Eagles does not get any easier. After playing a rescheduled D.C. Volleyball Challenge match with George Mason University on Wednesday, Sept. 14, AU returns to Bender Arena to host the American Classic. That tournament will see the Eagles take on the University of Villanova (7-3), Western Kentucky University (9-1) and the University of Missouri (11-2).
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