AU secured a spot in the Patriot League playoffs after sweeping the U.S. Military Academy on Nov. 8 at West Point and The College of the Holy Cross on Nov. 9 in its two-game road trip.
Winning both games gave the Eagles (25-2, 11-1, PL) their ninth and 10th sweeps of Patriot League teams this season. Overall, the Eagles have swept 20 of their 27 games.
Beating Army (12-12, 9-5, PL) and Holy Cross (7-19, 2-12, PL) also marks the Eagles’ ninth straight victory.
AU’s match against Army was a highly anticipated one. The Eagles’ only loss against a Patriot League team was a home game against Army on Oct. 5.
AU gained an advantage over Army early in the game with a 10-3 lead in the first set. They maintained their advantage for the rest of the set, even pushing their lead to nine points on a kill by senior middle blocker Morgan Hendrix. The Eagles’ dominant play forced the Black Knights to call two timeouts during the first set. The Eagles eventually won the first set 25-17.
Similarly, the Eagles were off to a great start during the second set, earning an early 8-1 lead and forcing Army to call a timeout. The Eagles went on to notch an 11-5 advantage, but the Black Knights rallied hard, eventually going on a 6-0 run and tying the game at 11-11. AU regained its lead on a kill by senior outside hitter Juliana Crum. The Eagles kept their lead for the rest of game and won the second set 25-22.
The Eagles kept their momentum going during the third set, again earning an early 12-2 lead and forcing the Black Knights to call a timeout. Eight different players notched a kill for the Eagles’ during the third set. AU went on to win the final set 25-15.
Several players posted double digit assists, digs, and kills against Army. Junior setter Monika Smidova posted a double-double with 36 assists and 13 digs. Junior outside hitter Kristyna Lindovska earned 10 kills and Crum posted a game-high 13 kills. Junior libero Megan Rosburg and outside hitter Allison Cappellino notched 19 and 11 digs, respectively.
AU dominated its match against Holy Cross, which allowed the Eagle to clinch its playoff spot. Like its games against the Black Knights, the Eagles jumped to an early 9-3 lead against the Crusaders. AU kept its lead for the rest of the set, eventually winning the set 25-14 on a kill by Cappellino. The Eagles held the Crusaders to a -.040 hitting percentage during the first set.
Though the Eagles did not earn a large lead to start its second game against the Crusaders, they clearly outplayed the Crusaders as the match went on. After leading Holy Cross 11-10, AU went on a 14-2 run to definitively beat Holy Cross. The Eagles won the second set 25-12, the largest advantage by which the Eagles won throughout the weekend.
AU’s third set against the Crusaders was hard fought. After AU earned an 11-6 advantage, Holy Cross went on a 4-0 run to push the score to 11-10. However, the Eagles held their lead and went on to win the third and final set 25-19 on a kill by Crum.
Crum tied for the game-high 12 kills. Smidova earned a game-high 32 assists, doubling the number earned by the next highest assist-earning player.
AU’s focus on blocking paid off during their two-game road trip. AU out-blocked both of its opponents, including a 6-1 block ratio between the Eagles and the Crusaders.
The Eagles will return to Bender Arena for the remainder of their regular season. Their next matchup will be against the United States Naval Academy on Nov. 13.
