American University’s volleyball team swept Bucknell on Friday, extending its win streak to 10 games. The road win puts AU at the top of the Patriot League alongside Colgate.
The Eagles (17-7, 10-1 PL) dominated, taking the three sets, 25-11, 25-21 and 25-18 respectively. Their dominance was most notable through their kills and lack of errors. The Eagles tallied 40 kills to the Bison's 31, as well as 12 errors compared to 20 for Bucknell.
Junior outside hitter Helena Elbaek and junior setter Olivia Wassner stayed true to form, leading individual performances for the Eagles. Elbaek recorded 11 kills and no errors for a hitting percentage of .440. Wassner filled the stat sheet, leading the Eagles with 14 kills, 23 assists and three aces.
Senior middle blocker Jeanne Westney also had a huge night, recording six kills and four blocks, a mark that tied freshman Onuchi Ndee.
The win over Bucknell marks AU's 46th straight win over the Bison, putting the all-time series record at 47-1.
AU has always relied on the stable play of Kristen Largay, and she set a new program digs record. In Friday’s match, the senior libero surpassed Natasha Sylvain, who played for the Eagles from 1990 to 1994, to become No. 1 on AU's all-time digs list with 1,869. Sylvian recorded 1,865 during her AU career.
Over her four years, head coach Barry Goldberg said, Largay’s contribution to the team has been strong.
"We are so happy to see Kristen break the all-time digs record for AU volleyball,” an emotional Goldberg said of the 2017 Patriot League Libero of the Year. “She is a wonderful competitor and is an overcomer who takes on challenges with the best of intentions. American University volleyball recognizes Kristen Largay as a true leader who stands above the rest."
Largay needed eight digs to secure the record and tallied 11, putting her at an impressive 377 digs on the year. Largay's season-beginning mark of 4.14 digs per set also puts her on pace to become No. 1 for career digs per set in AU history.
Next up: the Eagles will play Loyola on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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