ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- American had three players reach double figures in kills as the Eagles (21-4, 14-1) secured the top seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament with a three-set victory (25-23, 25-20, 25-18) over the Navy volleyball team (12-12, 8-7), Sunday afternoon at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis.

"I thought we battled and found some ways to score against the top team in the league," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  "We have proven to be a really versatile team and I'm looking forward to all of the ways we can match-up against our opponents in the postseason."

Set One
The Mids scored the first point of the match on a service error by the Eagles, but American scored the next five points which led to a very quick timeout being called by Labrador.

American maintained a slim lead until it opened up a 17-9 advantage.  It soon was a 20-13 score when the Mids clawed to within two points at 22-20.  The teams traded sideouts, then American reached set point with a 24-21 lead.  Navy answered with a block followed by a kill to fight off a pair of set points, but then a kill by the Eagles gave them the opening frame.

Set Two
The teams were consistently within two points of each other in the early going until American turned a slim 12-10 lead into a 19-11 cushion.  It became a 23-14 lead for the Eagles when the Mids tried to battle back and pulled to within 23-19, but the margin remained too much for Navy to completely overcome.

Set Three
Navy took an early 6-3 lead only to see American score the next eight points to build an 11-6 lead.  The Mids again made it close as they closed to within two points at 12-10, 13-11, 14-12, 15-13 and 16-14, then made it a one-point difference at 16-15.  The Eagles tallied the next seven points to take a 23-15 lead on their way to closing out the match.

Statistical Summary
American's offense totaled 50 kills and a .319 hitting percentage and its defense limited Navy to 39 kills and a .212 hitting effort.

Farrah Eike led all players in the match with 19 kills and she did that while hitting a lofty .356.  Caroline Buffum added 11 kills for the Mids on offense, with Lainey Feighery recording 32 assists on the afternoon.

Defensively Amara Chambers had 13 digs, Baylee Doolan scooped up 11 digs and Ava Toppin had four blocks.  

"Baylee improves each match," said Labrador.  "She was one of our steadiest passers and made some big defensive plays.  Lainey set a great match and created some nice opportunities for Farah to score."

Senior Day
Navy played tribute to its senior class of manager Elliana Hamsho and players Lainey Feighery, Anuhea Hauanio-Lore, Julia Humphrey and Ava Toppin prior to the start of today's match.

"This senior class has been an absolute joy to coach," said Labrador.  "They are all in, all of the time.  I can't say enough about the standards they have set for our program and the mentorship they provide to their younger teammates."

Playoff Outlook
Navy and Bucknell are assured of facing each other on Nov. 18 in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament.  The seeds for the teams and the site remain up in the air with one match left for each team.  The Mids will play at Colgate on Saturday (4 p.m.) and the Bison will play host to Army on the same day.

If both teams win OR if both teams lose OR if Navy wins and Bucknell loses, the Mids are the No. 4 seed and the Bison are the No. 5 and the match will be played in Annapolis.  If Navy loses and Bucknell wins, the fourth-seeded Bison would play host to the fifth-seeded Mids in Lewisburg.