The beginning of Patriot League play on Sept. 23 will come as a welcome relief to the AU volleyball squad.
After clawing for every single point they earned in a 3-0 loss to the two-time defending national champions, University of Southern California, on Friday night, the Eagles pulled together to oust the University of Miami (Ohio) 3-1 on Saturday to win third place in the State Farm Illinois Classic, hosted by the University of Illinois.
In the past week, AU squared off against national powerhouses Michigan State University and USC. Although both results fell in the wrong column for the Eagles, coach Barry Goldberg has seen his team make important strides toward earning its fourth straight Patriot League title when league play starts.
USC extended its winning streak over the past two seasons to 52 games with its victory over AU in the opening match of the prestigious Illinois Classic. AU fell behind by 7-0 margins in both the first and second games and could never match the elite Trojans, a program that has been at the top of the AVCA polls for the past 23 weeks.
AU was overwhelmed 30-6 in the first game. In a phone interview from Champagne, Ill., Goldberg said his team was overwhelmed and intimidated by the hard-hitting Trojans in the first game and made some uncharacteristic mistakes.
"They really didn't do too much - we were just trying to do too much," said Goldberg. "We were overrunning balls and making unforced errors."
Relying on the strength of junior Cutrina Biddulph's kills, AU fought back and forth with the Trojans in Game 2 before ultimately succumbing, 30-26. In between games, Goldberg told his team to play the rallies longer and let the game come to them.
"I just told them to play some defense and relax - and the next thing we know we're right in the game with them," he said. "We ended up making it a very competitive match."
In Game 3, the Eagles led 25-23 before the Trojans put on a late surge to sweep the match with a 30-27 win. "We were hammering right back with them and that built our confidence," said Goldberg. "It ended up being a really positive experience for us."
Biddulph led the Eagles with 12 kills. Freshman Chelsa Brooks impressed with seven kills. Senior setter Courtney Mulford had 28, assists and senior Sabrina Vasconcelos added 10 kills.
Squaring off against the University of Miami (Ohio), AU played its most complete match of the season. Riding on the shoulders of Mulford , who nearly recorded a triple-double with 10 kills, 57 assists and eight digs, the Eagles dropped the Redbirds to 1-4 on the season.
The Eagles won the first two games of the match and looked poised to sweep the match in Game 3, but the Redbirds won 30-28 with some clutch hitting down the stretch.
AU delivered the knockout blow in Game 4 with Biddulph again leading the way in kills and Mulford in assists. The Eagles hit .409 for the match and were aided by senior Erin Alligaier's 16 kills, Brooks' 13 and senior Natacha Cornez's 14. "We had a good scouting report on them from the night before," said Goldberg, who watched the Redbirds lose to No. 4 ranked Illinois on Friday night. "Everybody just hit the ball great," he said.
This week, the Eagles will get another challenge when they meet the University of Arizona in the AU Classic at Bender Arena Friday night at 7 p.m.
Goldberg said he and his team got a chance to watch the championship match, which pitted No. 1 USC and No. 4 Illinois, on Saturday night in front of a packed Illinois fieldhouse. The atmosphere was something Goldberg said he dreams of seeing at AU.
"This is just an incredible experience," he said. "There are probably a thousand students here - it's just great for my team to see what this is all about"
