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AU Volleyball Succombs to No. 6 Wildcats
Eagles strong to finish in 3-0 final

August 31, 2002 | Stats

Junior Karla Kucerkova paced the Eagles' offense.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Faced the challenge of playing No.6 Arizona, a 2001 NCAA Tournament Final Four participant, the American University volleyball team showed its skill but not its staying power, losing 3-0 with scores of 20-30, 28-30, 21-30 Saturday in its second game at the Labor Day Classic hosted at the University of Louisville's Cardinal Arena.

Junior Karla Kucerkova (Olomouc, Czech Republic/Brno) was the offensive mainstay for the Eagles, tallying 11 kills on 39 attempts and one of six AU service aces. Freshman Cutrina Biddulph (Reseda, Calif./Granada Falls) stepped up in a big way with seven kills and a pair of digs.

The Eagles rattled off four points in a row to establish a 12-9 advantage before the Wildcats woke up from their slumber and went on a 11-0 tear for a 24-14 lead in Game 1. AU fought back with two kills at match point, but Arizona prevailed to put a halt to any American rally.

American owned a four-point lead in Game 2, which turned into a topsy-turvy scorer's delight with a rapid exchange of leads. After Kucerkova provided most of the offense in Game 1, senior Judit Szekelyhidi (Ujszentivan, Hungary/Szegedian) came on strong to add to her seven kill total.

In the final game, Arizona went on a 5-0 run to snap a 14-all tie and led by as many as six points. Both Szekelyhidi and Biddulph recorded service aces.

Sophomore Courtney Mulford (San Diego, Calif./La Costa Canyon) had a team-high 29 assists and junior Natalie Hand (Keizer, Ore./McNary) recorded nine digs.

For Arizona, senior Shannon Torregrosa and freshman Kim Glass, the No. 1 recruit of the national 2002 class, combined for 31 kills.

The Eagles will finish their tournament play tonight in a 5 p.m. matchup with University of Texas-Arlington. The Mavericks were ousted by the Wildcats 3-1 in a Friday meeting.

Match Summary
Kills: Arizona 47; American 35
Attack Percentage: Arizona .317; American .126
Blocks: Arizona 15; American 1
Assists: Arizona 42; American 33