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AU Volleyball Strong in 3-1 Win Over Navy
Kucerkova, Fluegeman lead strong Eagle offense

Cathy Fluegeman and Judit Szekelyhidi combined for 20 kills and 11 digs.

October 18, 2002 | Stats

ANNAPOLIS, Md . — A false start didn't keep the American University volleyball team out of sync for long as the Eagles recovered from a loss in Game 1 to defeat Navy 3-1 Friday night at Macdonough Hall. The scores of the individual games were 26-30, 30-17, 30-17, 30-17.

AU, which ranks fourth in the NCAA Division 1 Northeast Region Poll, maintains its perfect 7-0 mark in the Patriot League and extends its two-year league winning streak to 23-0 with a 15-6 overall mark.

In Game 1, the Eagles held the Midshipmen (11-10 overall, 4-3 Patriot League) at 15-all before Navy began to pull away, leading by as many as five before closing out with a win despite eight kills by AU junior Karla Kucerkova. Kucerkova finished with a game-high 23 kills and six digs.

American came out stronger in the second game, ignited by sophomore Cathy Fluegeman's four kills and blocking prowess. The middle blocker hit .500 with nine kills, three digs and two blocks. The Eagles outscored the Midshipmen by a 10-5 margin for the final.

Maintaining its momentum, AU gained quick leads in the final two games and held on for the win as senior Judit Szekelyhidi and sophomore Erin Allgaier combined for 20 kills and 10 digs.

It was an all-around effort for American as junior Natalie Hand registered 12 digs and sophomore Jessica Tuthill pumped in 10 digs and two assists of her own. Sophomore Sabrina Vasconcelos ended with 36 assists, five kills, three service aces and seven digs.

The Eagles host non-league Georgetown Tuesday at Bender Arena at 7 p.m.

Match Summary
Hitting Percentage: American .307; Navy .110
Kills: American 62; Navy 40
Assists: American 42; Navy 35
Digs: American 50; Navy 40
Blocks: American 8.5; Navy 3