Nov. 16, 2007
2007 Patriot League Volleyball Championship Page
Patriot League All-Access
Washington, D.C. - Top-seeded American and No. 3 Colgate were both winners on Friday in semifinal action at the 2007 Patriot League Volleyball Tournament. American took a 3-0 game from No. 4 Navy, while Colgate earned a hard-fought 3-2 victory over No. 2 Army. American and Colgate will meet Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Eagles' Bender Arena in the Patriot League Tournament Championship match.
American (25-7) defeated Navy for the third time this season by scores 30-21, 30-28, 30-28. The Eagles will be playing for their seventh-straight Patriot League Tournament title and NCAA appearance. American is 13-0 in Patriot League Tournament action since joining the League in 2001.
American was led offensively by junior Rubena Sukaj who posted 20 kills to up her season total to 589, which ranks third on the Patriot League's single-season list. Sukaj also moved up to fourth-all time in Patriot League history with 1,555 career kills.
Senior Rachel Dougherty came up with a team-high 11 kills for the Mids (21-12), while junior Marissa Watson led Navy with 12 digs.
The American-Navy contest featured the Burns sisters on either side of the net. For American, sophomore Cynammon Burns came up with a game-high 13 digs and for Navy senior Aimee' Burns had seven digs.
The second semifinal match of the day not only went to five games, but ended with a score of 19-17, as both teams traded points the entire fifth game. Army came back from being down two games to force the fifth frame. Colgate and Army were only separated by one Patriot League win this season and split their season series. The Raiders were able to edge the Black Knights out, 30-28, 30-25, 26-30, 27-30, 19-17, to reach the championship match.
Colgate (17-12) will be appearing in the championship match of the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2000 - a game that resulted in a loss to Bucknell. The Raiders have four championship titles to their credit (1990, 1995, 1996, 1999).
The Raiders put four student-athletes in double-digit kills and four in double-figure digs. Junior Merryl Pohl led the team with a match and career-high 26 kills, followed by classmate Katrina Zawojski who notched a double-double with 20 kills and 14 digs and added seven blocks. Junior Jackie Adlam led the defense with 19 digs. Senior Erin Kanetzke came up with nine blocks and three aces.
Army (24-5) was led in kills by Rachael Breinling (17) who was one of five Black Knights in double figures. Three Army players posted double-doubles, including junior Jamie Clark (14 kills, 13 blocks), sophomore Rachel Dunn (12 kills, 13 digs) and junior Elizabeth Lazzari (14 kills, 27 digs).
The 2007 Patriot League Volleyball Tournament Championship Game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at American University's Bender Arena. Tomorrow will mark the first-ever meeting between American and Colgate in Patriot League Tournament play. The Eagles went 2-0 over the Raiders this season with a 3-0 win at home and a 3-2 victory on the road.
The 2007 Patriot League Volleyball Tournament Championship Match 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 or click here. Joe Green and Sam Danai will provide the audio for the web cast.
