Nov. 19, 2008

Center Valley, Pa. - Top-seeded American will welcome No. 2 Army, No. 3 Colgate and No. 4 Bucknell to Bender Arena in Washington, D.C. for the 2008 Patriot League Volleyball Tournament. Semifinal action will take place on Friday, Nov. 21 with American taking on Bucknell at 6 p.m. and Army facing Colgate at 8 p.m. The Patriot League Tournament championship match is slated for Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.

American has been the tournament host and No. 1 seed each year since it joined the Patriot League in 2001. The Eagles will be in search of their eighth straight Patriot League Tournament title and NCAA Tournament bid. American and Army finished the season tied atop the Patriot League standings at 13-1, with the Eagles holding the tie-breaking advantage for the top seed. American, Army and Colgate return to the tournament field as the top three seeds after earning the same positions in last year's tournament seeding. Fourth-seeded Bucknell is the only team in this year's field that did not compete in last year's tournament.

The 2008 Patriot League Volleyball Tournament will be streamed live through the Patriot League's All-Access package. For live coverage visit the Patriot League website and click on the All-Access logo on the front page.

Patriot League Tournament Semifinal Matchups

No. 1 American (22-8, 13-1 PL) vs. No. 4 Bucknell (13-17, 8-6 PL), 6:00 p.m.

American Notebook The Eagles have won seven consecutive Patriot League Tournament titles (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) under head coach Barry Goldberg. The team has compiled a 109-3 record versus Patriot League opponents in the regular season. Last year's Patriot League Tournament MVP, Christina Nash, returns to the court for the Eagles. Nash earned her third All-League mention of her career this season. She currently leads the Patriot League with 1,076 assists. Two-time Patriot League Player of the Year, Rubena Sukaj, also returns for the Eagles. Sukaj earned her fourth First-Team All-Patriot League nod this season. Sukaj leads the Patriot League with 463 kills and ranks 17th in the nation with 4.23 kills per set. She has nine double-doubles this season, which ranks her second in the Patriot League. Junior Ivana Cebakova, who leads the nation with 0.67 service aces per set, also earned First-Team All-Patriot League recognition. Cebakova ranks fourth in the Patriot League in digs with 3.42 digs per set.

Bucknell Notebook Bucknell is making its 16th appearance in the Patriot League Tournament and its first since 2006. The Bison were the last team to win the Patriot League title prior to American's current streak, beating Colgate for the crown in 2000. Bucknell has won the title twice under Cindy Opalski. The Bison have reached the championship match six times, most recently in 2006. A Bucknell duo was honored with Second-Team All-Patriot League recognition. Senior setter Shannon Pitsch earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors in a season in which she finished with 749 assists. She also provided 134 digs and 26 service aces. Sophomore outside hitter Kaitlin Segal joined Pitsch as a Second-Team All-Patriot League honoree after accounting for 334 kills and 26 blocks. Her 3.31 kills per set ranked third in the Patriot League.

Head-To-Head American won both contests versus Bucknell this year, sweeping the Bison both times. In Washington, D.C., the Eagles notched a 3-0 victory, sweeping the Bison, 25-21, 25-15 and 25-9. In Lewisburg, Pa., the Bison pushed the Eagles in the first set before falling, 32-30. American won the next two sets, 25-17 and 25-21. The Eagles and Bison last met in the Patriot League Tournament in the 2006 championship match, with American notching a 3-0 victory.

No. 2 Army (26-3, 13-1 PL) vs. No. 3 Colgate (14-13, 9-5 PL), 8:00 p.m.

Army Notebook Army will be competing in its 10th-straight tournament. The Black Knights have claimed three Patriot League Tournament titles (1991, 1992, 1994). The Black Knights were the tournament runners-up in 2004 and 2005. Army's 25 wins this season are the most for the program since 1993. The Black Knights led all Patriot League teams with five All-Patriot League selections. Junior setter Maureen Bannon, a First-Team All-Patriot League selection, paced the Patriot League with 10.87 assists per set. She had 459 assists against League competition alone. Bannon has now been named All-Patriot League in three consecutive seasons. She was joined on the First-Team by teammate Jamie Clark. Like Bannon, Clark has been named to the All-Patriot League in three consecutive seasons. Clark leads the Patriot League with 0.94 blocks per set. She also ranks eighth in the Patriot League in kills with 3.01 per set. Earning Second-Team All-Patriot League recognition was a trio of Army seniors: Rachael Breinling, Elizabeth Lazzari and Briana Stremick rounds out Army's selections.

Colgate Notebook Colgate qualified for the Patriot League tourney for the second consecutive season. The Raiders have won four Patriot League Tournament titles (1990, 1995, 1996, 1999). Colgate reached the title match last season, falling to American in the final. The Raiders placed three student-athletes on the All-Patriot League team, including two First-Team selections. Sophomore middle blocker Casey Ritt, the 2007 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, earned her second All-Patriot League nod after earning Second-Team honors a year ago. Ritt was named First-Team All-Patriot League in 2008 after finishing with 222 kills and finishing sixth in the Patriot League with a .291 hitting percentage. Her teammate, senior Katrina Zawojski, joined Ritt as a First-Team All-Patriot League honoree. Zawojski led the Raiders and finished second in the Patriot League with 361 kills. Zawojski has been named to the All-Patriot League team four times. Senior libero Jackie Adlam rounded out the Colgate selections. A Second-Team All-Patriot League selection, Adlam leads the League with 3.87 digs per set. She has now been named to the All-Patriot League team in four consecutive seasons.

Head-To-Head Army beat Colgate in both regular season meetings this season. After dropping the first set, the Black Knights won three straight sets to beat Colgate in West Point, N.Y. Army then swept Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y. in November, despite being challenged in all three sets. In Patriot League Tournament action, Colgate holds a 4-3 advantage over Army. Last season, Colgate defeated the second-seeded Black Knights in a five-set thriller to advance to the championship round. Colgate also posted wins over Army in 1990, in the title match, and in 1999 and 2000 in semifinal action. Army earned wins over Colgate in 1991, 1992 and 1994. All three of the Black Knights' tournament victories over Colgate occurred in the League championship match.

Championship (Saturday)

Winner 1/4 Seed vs. Winner 2/3 Seed, 8:00 p.m.

Potential Match-Ups

American and Army split their regular-season matches. Army remains the only team to have beaten American since the Eagles joined the Patriot League in 2001. The Black Knights have beaten American three times in the last four seasons. The Eagles swept Army in the teams' first meeting of the season before falling in four sets in West Point in the season finale. American and Army have met in the League championship match three times, with American winning all three contests.

Top-seeded American earned a pair of three-set victories over third-seeded Colgate in the regular season. The Eagles swept the Raiders in last year's League championship. It stands as the only meeting between the schools in the title match.

Second-seeded Army swept fourth-seeded Bucknell twice during the 2008 regular season. The Black Knights and Bison have never met in the League championship match.

Colgate and Bucknell have met in the League championship match twice, with each team winning once. The Raiders and Bison split the regular season series this season, with each team winning on its home court in straight sets.

2008 Patriot League Volleyball Tournament Schedule

Friday, Nov. 21

Semifinal 1: No. 1 American vs. No. 4 Bucknell, 6 p.m.

Semifinal 2: No. 2 Army vs. No. 3 Colgate, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 22

Championship Match

Winner No. 1/4 seed vs. Winner 2/3 seed, 7 p.m.