Army pushed American further than it had been pushed all year in conference play, but the mighty Eagles withstood the Black Knights’ charge, taking a 3-1 victory in the 2001 Patriot League Volleyball Championship last weekend. Army showcased the foundations of a championship-caliber team with a tremendous effort against an American club that had failed to allow a Patriot League opponent to score a game victory all year.

Sophomore Karla Kucerkova, who was named the league’s Player of the Year Nov. 16, was voted Tournament MVP after leading the Eagles with 23 kills and 11 digs against the Black Knights. Kucerkova scored the final point as American took the decisive fourth game by a 30-25 margin. American grabbed a 2-0 match lead on Army after winning the first two games 31-29 and 30-25.

The Black Knights handed American its lone conference defeat of the season with a 33-31 victory in game three. Army outhit American .371-.300 in the third frame. Though the Black Knights had only one game win, they dominated the opener, outhitting the Eagles .444-.282.

"The team played really solid," said head coach Glen Conley. "We played with American point-for-point. It is frustrating for the team, because we played very well and expected to win. Down the stretch, we did not lose the match, they just won."

The electric crowd witnessed a great match, with the seasoned Eagles taking advantage of a young Army team’s mistakes. The Black Knights never trailed by more than five points at any time during the match. Despite the loss, once again the Black Knights received some outstanding contributions.

Junior Leah Shubin, who was named to the second-team All-Conference roster Nov. 16 for the second straight year, paved the way for the Army offense with 17 kills. Sophomore Jen Wynn added 12 kills, while rookie standout Jamie Lister supplied the offense with eight kills without an error for a .471 hitting percentage.

On defense, senior Beth Bellinger and Shubin led the team with 12 and 11 digs respectively. Army had six team blocks compared to American’s four and were led by senior Stacy Gervelis, freshman Rachael Travis and Wynn.