Nov. 21, 2009

West Point, N.Y. - No. 1 Army and No. 2 American each notched convincing wins in the Patriot League Volleyball semifinals on Saturday, and now the top two seeds will square off for the Patriot League Championship at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Gillis Field House. Army routed No. 4 Lehigh, 3-0, while American defeated No. 3 Colgate by an identical score.

Army moves on to the Championship for the first time since 2005 and will play for its first League title since 1994, while eight-time defending champion American has won every title since entering the Patriot League in 2001. The teams split the season series, with each winning on its home court.

For a synopsis of each semifinal match, including a box score from each contest, read the capsules below.

No. 1 Army 3, No. 4 Lehigh 0 (25-14, 25-14, 26-24)
Box Score

Top-seeded Army (25-5) made quick work of No. 4 Lehigh (14-16) in the first semifinal on Saturday, as the Black Knights earned a three-set victory by scores of 25-14, 25-14 and 26-24 to advance to their first Patriot League Championship since 2005.

Sophomore OH Fabiola Castro led the Black Knights with 13 kills, while Patriot League Player and Rookie of the Year freshman OH Ariana Mankus and second team all-league pick junior MB Amanda Rowell added 11 kills apiece. Mankus hit for a team-high .400 percentage with just a single miscue in her 25 attempts. Senior S Maureen Bannon led all players with 30 assists and five service aces, while junior L Brittany Jensen's 19 digs also led both teams.

Army dominated the first two sets right from the start, taking a 9-1 lead in the first set and a 10-3 advantage in the second on its way to 11-point victories. The third set featured 12 ties and five lead changes, but Army closed with an 8-3 surge to overcome a 21-18 deficit and move on to Sunday's title match.

No. 2 American 3, No. 3 Colgate 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-11)
Box Score

Claire Recht totaled nine kills while Angelina Waterman and Cassandra Ricketts each had seven as No. 2 American (18-11) went on to a 3-0 win over No. 3 Colgate (15-13) by scores of 25-20, 25-17, and 25-11.

The Eagles controlled the match from start to finish, as there were just two ties and one lead change in the entire three-set match. After posting a .156 attack percentage in the first set, the Eagles recorded percentages of .387 in the second and .320 in the third. Krysta Cicala had 28 of the Eagles' 31 assists, while they recorded 36 kills as a team.

Colgate was led by seven kills from Maureen Colligan, six from Kaleigh Durket and five from both Kaylee Dougherty and Casey Ritt, but had its season ended by American in the Patriot League Tournament for the third year in a row. It also ended a four-match winning streak for the No. 3 seed over the No. 2 in the semifinals.