Dec. 23, 2008

Center Valley, Pa.--The 2008 volleyball season concluded as it had for the past eight seasons, but with a slightly new twist. American University claimed its eighth consecutive Patriot League crown, and as a result, advanced to the NCAA Tournament. What was different for the Eagles was the lack of a travel itinerary. American became the first Patriot League team to host an NCAA Tournament match when the Eagles battled North Carolina. New ground was paved individually in the League, as well. American's Rubena Sukaj established Patriot League records for kills and aces, while Colgate's Jackie Adlam set the League mark for digs.

Patriot League Volleyball Release FINAL

American Wraps Up Season At NCAA Tournament

American University served as a first and second round host for the 2008 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, becoming the first Patriot League team to do so. American, which won its eighth consecutive Patriot League championship just two weeks earlier, was eliminated from the tournament with a with a 3-0 loss to North Carolina (25-16, 25-17, 25-17) at Bender Arena. American closed the season with a 24-9 record.

After the teams split the first 10 points of the first set, North Carolina rattled off five straight points, aided by three American attack errors. The Tar Heels never trailed through the rest of the set. North Carolina out-hit the Eagles, .200 to .000, taking the first set, 25-16.

North Carolina did not cool off in the second set, as the Tar Heels captured 10 of the first 12 points. North Carolina twice built nine-point leads, the second of which was capped off by a Lauren Prussing kill to give the Tar Heels a 19-10 advantage. American rallied with five consecutive points, including three kills by Patriot League Player of the Year Rubena Sukaj, but North Carolina stymied the Eagles' run with six straight points of their own. The Tar Heels scored seven of the set's final eight points to claim a 25-17 victory and a 2-0 lead.

The third set included nine ties and two lead changes. Neither team held a lead larger than three points through the set's first 28 points. After back-to-back points by American made it 14-14, North Carolina responded with five straight points. The Tar Heels closed the match by scoring 11 of the final 14 points.

For the match, North Carolina out-hit the Eagles, .258 to .069. Prussing led the Tar Heels with 10 kills. Heather Brooks added six kills and four service aces. In her final collegiate match, Sukaj led the Eagles with a match-high 18 kills while hitting .308. She also added five digs. Patriot League Setter of the Year Christina Nash chipped in with a match-high 25 assists, while Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Ivana Cebakova produced a match-high 16 digs.

Patriot League Notebook

Eight Years of American Rule Despite a spirited effort by third-seeded Colgate, American University extended its Patriot League Championship streak to eight years. Since joining the Patriot League, American has not lost a Patriot League Tournament match. The Eagles have won eight straight titles dating back to 2001, all under the direction of Barry Goldberg. American has lost just three Patriot League matches in its eight-year run.

Classroom Aces Patriot League volleyball players have succeeded both on the court and off. Army's Briana Stremick, the 2008 Patriot League Volleyball Scholar Athlete of the Year, was a candidate for a Rhodes Scholarship. Stremick was one of two Army players who were named CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans, joining fellow-senior Rachael Breinling as a 2008 honoree. Five Patriot League volleyball student-athletes were named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team. Besides Breinling and Stremick, the other honorees included: Army's Jamie Clark, Army's Elizabeth Lazzari and Bucknell's Shannon Pitsch.

Three Times For The Second Time American University senior Rubena Sukaj became the second three-time Player of the Year in Patriot League history this year. Previously, American standout Karla Kucerkova was the only three-time winner. Kucerkova claimed the award three times from 2001 to 2003.

Winning the Lottery American University won the volleyball lottery when Rubena Sukaj's family won the United States Green Card Lottery. Each year, 50,000 applicants, their spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 receive a chance to earn permanent residence in the U.S. through the computerized Green Card Lottery system. Four years ago, Sukaj's mother won the lottery, opening the door for Rubena to attend college in the United States.

Youth Has Served Them Well Though Army head coach Alma Kovaci is just 29 years old, she is not the youngest person to win Patriot League Coach of the Year. That honor goes to last year's winner. Colgate's Ryan Baker won the award at the age of 26.The League's young coaches are balanced by a group of veterans. Of the four coaches who have been named Patriot League Coach of the Year multiple times, two are still active. Bucknell's Cindy Opalski has claimed the trophy a record three times. American head coach Barry Goldberg has won twice.

Patriot League Championship Recap

Top-seeded American claimed its eighth straight Patriot League Volleyball Chammpionship, but not without a fight from third-seeded Colgate. The Eagles posted a three-set victory over the Raiders, 25-13, 25-21, 26-28, an 25-19. American has not lost a Patriot League Tournament match since joining the League in 2001. The Eagles have now beaten the Raiders in consecutive championship matches.

American led the first set wire to wire. The Eagles built an early 4-0 advantage, thanks to three blocks. American extended its lead to 16-6 with another run, culminated by a kill by Claire Recht. Colgate climbed back into contention, scoring six of the next eight points, including four straight to start the streak. American responded with a 7-1 streak to close the opening set, giving the Eagles a 1-0 set advantage. The Eagles recorded a robust .414 hitting percentage in the opening frame, compared to the Raiders' .083 first-set hitting percentage.

Colgate began the second set with momentum on its side. The Raiders scored the first two points and maintained the lead until three straight kills by American senior Rubena Sukaj gave the Eagles a 12-11 advantage. The teams exchanged leads three more times before Sukaj recorded another kill to give American a 20-19 advantage, a lead the Eagles did not relinquish. Sukaj, who has been named Patriot League Player of the Year three times, recorded eight kills in the second set alone. She was matched by Colgate senior Katrina Zawojski, who also notched eight second-set kills.

Despite falling behind early, Colgate became just the third Patriot League team to take a set from American this season, downing the Eagles 28-26 in the third set. After trailing 10-5, Colgate rattled off seven straight points to take their first lead of the set. A kill by Logan Keala put the Raiders at match point, 24-20. American rallied back with four straight points to tie the set. The teams exchanged points until Zawojski ended the set with her 13th kill of the match. The Raiders out-hit the Eagles in the third set, .350 to .267.

Neither team established a lead larger than three points in the fourth set until a kill by Claire Recht gave American a 18-14 lead. After a Colgate timeout, the Raiders scored the next three points, but could not get any closer. Sukaj ended the match by firing her 29th kill of match down the right side. The Eagles hit a sizzling .593 in the final set to claim their eighth consecutive Patriot League title. For the match, American out-hit Colgate, .357 to .203.

Sukaj earned Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Player honors with 40 kills, 13 digs, seven blocks and two aces over two matches. She hit .422 for the weekend.

American placed three student-athletes on the 2008 Patriot League All-Tournament Team, including Sukaj, Christina Nash and Ivana Cebakova. Others on the all-tournament team were Colgate's Jackie Adlam and Zavojski, Army's Elizabeth Lazzari and Bucknell's Shannon Pitsch.