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August 20, 2002

Junior Karla Kucerkova leads a strong returning Eagle team.

WASHINGTON — As announced by the Patriot League, the American University volleyball team was selected by the league’s coaches and sports information directors to repeat as the top program in the Patriot League in the 2002 Preseason Poll.

In their first year in the Patriot League, the Eagles cruised to a perfect 14-0 finish without losing a game and captured the championship title with a 3-1 victory over Army. Earning its third berth in the Division I NCAA Tournament, AU fell 3-0 to Colorado in the first round.

“We’re happy to be chosen No. 1,” said head coach Barry Goldberg. “Top to bottom the conference is improving and we’re looking forward to a competitive season.”

The Eagles return all but one starter from the 2001 squad including Patriot League Player of the Year, Patriot League Tournament MVP and Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year Karla Kucerkova (Olomouc, Czech Republic/Brno). The junior right side hitter led the league in kills with 4.63 per game last year. Also expected to be a dominant player is AU’s lone senior, middle blocker Judit Szekelyhidi (Ujszentivan, Hungary/Szegedian Club). Szekelykidi was an All-Patriot League Second-Team pick as she finished third in the PL in blocks.

Patriot League Co-Rookie of the Year Sabrina Vasconcelos (Fortaleza, Brazil/Colegio Christus), who led the league in assists with 11.35 per game last year, returns as one of the top setters. Sophomores Daria Bobko (Moscow, Russia/S.E. School #783), a Patriot League Second-Team selection and Natacha Cornaz (Lausanne, Switzerland/Gymnase Auguste Piccard), who was sixth in the country in service aces last year, increase the level of experience the Eagles will bring to the 2002 season.

Joining AU are two freshmen, Jennifer Cosco (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills), a defensive specialist, and Cutrina Biddulph (Reseda, Calif./Granada Falls), a national recruit who is expected to make a contribution immediately.

The 2002 AU women’s volleyball season starts Aug. 31 at the Louisville Classic. Highlighting the schedule is The American Volleyball Classic on Sept. 20 and 22. The Eagles will host perennial national powerhouses Florida, Penn St. and Ivy League representative Yale University.

American University, which fields a 19-sport NCAA Division I athletics program featuring 10 women’s sports and nine for men, recently completed its inaugural year of membership in the Patriot League. The University had an extremely successful year to date on respective fields of play, capturing league championships in men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis, and regular-season titles in men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse.

Chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893, American University features students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 160 nations worldwide.