The AU women’s volleyball team rose early on Saturday morning to vanquish the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers in three sets in day two of the AU Volleyball Classic. With victory over UMBC, the Eagles moved to 2-0 in the AU Volleyball Classic after defeating William and Mary on Friday. AU fell to the University of Virginia in a thrilling five-set affair in the championship of the Eagles’ inaugural volleyball event Saturday night.
Freshman outside hitter Aleksandra Kazala tallied 11 kills and 11 digs, and senior setter Monika Smidova added 24 assists to help lead the Eagles (8-5, 0-0 PL) to a comfortable victory, 25-17, 25-13, 25-18. Five Eagles registered at least five kills, and AU held the Retrievers (5-7, 0-0 American East) to a kill percentage of 0.099 for the match.
“They [UMBC] saw Sarah [Katz] was a little weak today, so we switched Ola [Kazala] in there, and she came in there and played very well,” head coach Barry Goldberg said.
The Retrievers started the match on the front foot, leading by as many as four points in the early stages of the first set. The Eagles, however, fought back to tie the set at 8-8 after a team block and took the lead permanently in the set after a kill from Smidova. AU stretched it’s lead behind the combination of strong team blocking and the timely kills of Kazala and senior outside hitter Allison Cappellino.
“The win, even though we got down early, to win 25-17 really said a lot about who we are, knowing to be patient, look for your moment, and then get it moving when you can,” Goldberg said about the Eagles first set performance.
After committing six attacking errors in the first set, the Eagles limited their mistakes while increasing the defensive pressure on UMBC in the second set. AU capitalized on the Retrievers’ errors early in the set to take the lead at 4-3. The Eagles never relinquished the lead in the set and stretched the margin to as many as ten points.
Cappellino and senior outside hitter Kristyna Lindovska led an efficient Eagle attack in the second set that achieved a hit percentage of 0.524 while holding the Retrievers to a 0.031 hit percentage. AU took advantage of nine UMBC errors in the set to take control of the match.
As the Eagles entered the third set, Goldberg was able to rest and rotate players with the match against Virginia tonight in mind.
“We’re switching some players in and out when we get the opportunity to, the third set, we were able to open it up, and get some players some opportunities” Goldberg said. “At any time during a match, you may need help at one of those positions [on the court].”
The Eagles rotated roster in the third set was able to take control, utilizing defensive blocks and offense from Lindovska and never trailed after conceding the first point of the set.
“It was a good match for us,” Goldberg said. “So we’re certainly through it now and looking ahead to tonight’s match for the final of the tournament against Virginia.”
In the nightcap against Virginia (8-3), the Eagles failed to close out the Cavaliers after taking a two-set lead, snapping their five-game winning streak. Allison Cappellino recorded a team-high 17 kills, and Monika Smidova distributed 52 assists in a losing effort for the Eagles. AU has the week off before opening its Patriot League schedule on the road against Lafayette on Sept. 25.
