Rubena Sukaj Brings Home Fifth PL Weekly Award

Nov. 12, 2007

WASHINGTON - American University volleyball star Rubena Sukaj has been named the Patriot League Baden Player of the week, conference officials announced Monday. The award is Sukaj's fifth this season from the conference and her second in as many weeks.

Sukaj and her Eagles teammates swept their way through the week, going 3-0 and defeating each of their opponents in straight games. With their win Friday at Lehigh, the Eagles captured their seventh-consecutive PL Regular Season Championship and home court advantage throughout the PL Tournament.

Tuesday night, in AU's final regular-season home match of the year, Sukaj scored 18 kills, tied her single-match career high with six total blocks, dished out three assists and dug seven balls. In her team's championship clinching match, the junior hit a match-high 18 kills, recorded a .429 hitting percentage and dug another seven balls. Sukaj tallied 18 kills for the third match in a row Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale against Lafayette. Against the Leopards she committed only two errors on 39 attempts, finishing the match with a .410 percentage and seven digs. On the week Sukaj hit 54 kills averaging six a game, had a hitting percentage of .405, tallied a 21 digs and had 10 total blocks.

The PL Tournament will be held this weekend, Nov. 16-17, in Bender Arena. The No. 1 seeded Eagles will be joined by No. 2 Army, No. 3 Colgate and No. 4 Navy. In Friday's first semi-final match AU will face Navy at 6 p.m. At 8 pm. Army and Colgate will square off in the second semi-final match. The championship match will take place Saturday, at 7 p.m., and will feature the two winners of Friday's matches.