The American University volleyball team (8-4) split its weekend series 1-1, playing two games on Sept. 13 and 14. The Eagles swept the North Carolina A&T Aggies (4-5) in Bender Arena on Sept. 13 before falling 3-0 to the Howard Bison (6-4) on the road the next afternoon.
American entered this weekend off of a four-game, 11-day road trip, splitting those games 2-2. The wins came over the reigning Horizon League champion Cleveland State Vikings and the Hampton Pirates, while the losses were against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers and the Akron Zips.
In the match against North Carolina A&T, sophomore outside hitter, 2024 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and 2025 Preseason First Team All-Patriot League selection, Zedo Yilmaz returned to the lineup after dealing with a knee injury through the first stretch of the season. She didn’t see any front-line action, but her return brought a second wind to the Eagles’ defensive efforts throughout the match.
The Eagles hopped out to an early lead in the first set, going up 13-7 before the Aggies clawed back in. American took a timeout after a 5-2 run for North Carolina A&T, and found its footing immediately after. The Eagles won 5 straight points and posted a 10-3 run to finish out the set, with a block sealing it as a 25-15 set win.
Up 1-0, American had a harder time keeping up in the second, trading points early before pulling away slightly in the middle of the set. American’s defense began to falter, at 15-10, giving up 5 straight points and 7 of 8 in a long North Carolina A&T run. The Aggies found their first lead of the day at 17-16 in the second set after this. That lead didn’t last too long, as both teams traded points.
Once the Eagles got a 21-20 lead, freshman outside hitter Sophie Dufour put a stamp on the set, notching her 10th kill of the day and her first ace of the day to close the set 25-21. American led 2-0 in the match, looking to close it out quickly in the third set.
North Carolina A&T got their final lead of the match in the first point of the third set, going up 1-0. American won the following 6 points, and 7 of the next 10. The Eagles kept the pressure up, forcing the Aggies to play long, tiring points, then striking quickly on the point after. North Carolina A&T found itself in a large deficit quickly, and was unable to find its way out. American closed out the sweep victory by forcing 2 errors from the Aggies, winning the third set 25-16.
“You can never do it on your own,” Dufour said after the game. “I’m grateful that our defense did a really amazing job. We had great passing, and Deniz [Dakak] delivered amazing sets to me, so I was able to work with that.”
Dufour’s 15 kills led the team for the day.
The following day, the Eagles were back in action in Howard’s Burr Gymnasium, facing the MEAC powerhouse Bison, with three Preseason All-MEAC selections — senior setter Leah Reeves, senior libero Claire Simpson and senior outside hitter Rya McKinnon and the Preseason MEAC Player of the Year (McKinnon) — on their team. Howard was coming off of a five-set loss to the Aggies that American defeated the day prior.
Head coach Ahen Kim said after the North Carolina A&T match that one of the Eagles’ biggest strengths is that they always come out strong and swinging, often winning the first set and setting the tone for the rest of the match.
Howard caught the Eagles off guard, matching American point for point in the opening moments of the match. A 7-3 run towards the middle of the set put the Bison up 4, a lead they’d hold and extend for the rest of the set. The Eagles were unable to find an answer in the late stages of the first set, dropping it 25-20.
Howard and American picked up the pace in the second set, but instead of trading long points, the team traded quick runs. A lone point for a team was hard to come by early on, as both teams found their hitting prowess and runs. The Eagles found themselves up 13-12 in the middle, the last lead the Eagles would hold in the second set.
McKinnon’s hitting brought the rest of the team alive, posting a 7-1 run to put the Bison up — a lead they’d hold onto to win the second set with an identical score, 25-20.
Down 2-0, American was playing to not get swept and find some momentum to bring them back into the match. Burr Gymnasium boomed with noise leading into the third set, with the gathered congregation of students vocalizing its support for the Eagles.
Howard found the ability to match the Eagles point for point in the first set, and found the ability to match the Eagles run for run in the second set. In the third, American sought a way to pick up a lead and hold it.
The team found it, separately going on 6-2 and 7-0 runs early in the set. Despite this, Howard always had an answer. The Eagles held the lead for most of the set, even going up 23-19 late. However, the Bison’s hitting prowess was too much, finding holes in American’s defense. This effort was just enough to win the set and match in extra points, 29-27.
“It’s one of the challenges of being on the road, we have to make sure we are as consistent as we can be,” Kim said after the Howard match.
The Eagles continue their home stand against the Navy Midshipmen on Sept. 26.
This article was edited by Matthias Jaylen Sandoval, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting.
