Massive Tournament Implications on the Line for Friday's Match at American

Setting the Scene
Who: Bucknell (11-13, 7-8 PL) at American (19-5, 14-1 PL)
When: Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m.
Where: Bender Arena - Washington D.C.
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: aueagles.com

About Bucknell

Bucknell concludes the regular season and determines its postseason seeding on Friday in the Nation's Capital. The Bison face off against league-leading American on its home court, after earning its fifth straight Patriot League Tournament bid with a 1-1 weekend against Army and Colgate. The match will be streamed on ESPN+. The Live Stats link can be found on the Bucknell Volleyball schedule page.
The middle of the Patriot League standings is more lumped together than porridge. Navy sits third at 8-7, Army and Bucknell are tied for fourth at 7-8. Colgate, Holy Cross, and Loyola (Md.) are tied for sixth at 6-9. Holy Cross and Loyola (Md.) will resolve their knotting with a season finale match. Army and Navy finish up at Lehigh and Colgate duels bottom dweller Lafayette, who recently swept Army to throw more chaos into the mix.
Bucknell holds the head-to-head advantage over Colgate (2-0) but lost the same advantage to Holy Cross who vanquished the Bison twice. The Orange & Blue split matches with Army, Loyola (Md.), and Navy. Army has the tiebreaker over Bucknell due to sweeping the Bison while the Orange & Blue merely beat the Black Knights in four sets.
Bucknell could conceivably finish as high as third and host a First Round match if Navy falls to Lehigh and the Bison upset American. Also if Army West Point, Colgate, and Holy Cross/Loyola (Md.) finish at 7-9 - with Bucknell at 8-8 - the Bison will finish third.
The Bison finish fourth and host a First Round match if Army, Bucknell, and Navy finish tied at 8-8.
Should Bucknell, Colgate, and Holy Cross finish at 7-9, the Bison, due to percentage of total points between tied teams, would grab the sixth and final spot.
Last weekend, the Bison were swept by Army but rebounded to down Colgate in four sets to clinch its fifth straight bid.
Marion Haskell and Katie O'Sullivan received weekly awards for their contributions to Bucknell's 1-1 weekend. Haskell landed her second Patriot League Rookie of the Week laurel and O'Sullivan nabbed her second Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week award. The freshman notched 15 kills against Colgate and O'Sullivan shoveled 34 digs in two matches.
The Bison were selected to finish sixth and nab the final spot in the conference tournament in the preseason poll. Defending champions American was picked to retain its crown.
Bucknell went 12-14 overall and 9-7 in conference competition in 2025. The season ended with a 3-2 defeat in the Patriot League First Round to Navy. The Bison have not won a Patriot League Tournament match since a semifinal win in 2006 over Army.
Graduation thinned the Bison ranks. 2024 Patriot League Setter of the Year Caleigh O'Connell headlined the departures. Other notable losses included backup setter Laura Caro, First Team All-Patriot League member Bri Frazilus, Second Team All-Patriot League honoree Tijana Kostic, and prominent middle blocker Riley Tucker, who graduated early and transferred to Tulane.
Plenty of talent remains in Lewisburg with two-time First Team All-Patriot League recipient Sidney Shaffer - the preeminent middle blocker in the conference. Shaffer was Bucknell's sole entry on the 2026 Patriot League Preseason Team. Cameron Lloyd switches back to outside hitter after a magnificent season as a libero, a move that significantly bolsters the position group after Frazilus' and Kostic's graduations.
Two transfers, Calli Kenny and Katie O'Sullivan, arrived at Bucknell. Kenny, a setter, previously played at Marquette, while O'Sullivan, a libero, suited up for San Jose State.
Six freshmen joined the Bison, most notably, Isabella Charlton and Marion Haskell. Haskell has developed into one of Bucknell's main offensive threats. Charlton has played a crucial role in serving and backline defense.
John Post enters his first season for the Bison after a highly successful tenure as an assistant coach at Yale. Post previously helmed the men's and women's programs at Nichols College.
Peyton McGee is second in the conference in assists per set (9.07).
O'Sullivan is fourth in the loop in digs per set (4.27).
Shaffer is fifth in the circuit in hitting percentage (.315).
Lloyd crossed the 1000-dig and 100 service aces milestones this season. She is also tied for seventh with teammate Kaitlyn Taylor in the conference in aces per set (0.33).

Scouting Army/Series History

American is 19-5 overall and 14-1 in Patriot League play. The Eagles were impressive in non-conference play, collecting three Power Four wins over Iowa State, Northwestern, and Virginia.
In conference action, the Eagles flew away from all opponents except for a singular loss to second place Lehigh.
American enjoyed an elite season 2025, posting records of 24-5 overall and 15-1 in conference competition. They dropped their first PL match to Colgate before rolling to a 17-match winning streak, which included the PL Championship Game. Their season ended in a sweep to Colorado in the NCAA Tournament.
The Eagles were selected to repeat as conference champions and dominated the preseason awards. Deniz Dakak was voted Preseason Player and Setter of the Year. Bella Marrero clinched Defensive Player of the Year. Sophie Dufour, Elise Sterling, and Prinzez Zeck joined them on the Preseason All-League Team.
Dakak leads the conference in assists per set (10.54).
Elise Sterling leads the Eagles in kills (263), a mark that ranks fourth in the PL. But she isn't the only weapon. Five Eagles have 145 kills or more, and three of them hit better than .325.
New head coach Jenny Glenn has kept the American volleyball machine rolling. She previously led the Metropolitan State University of Denver to a Division II National Championship.
American leads the all-time series 55-6. Four of Bucknell's victories have occurred since 2022, including a sweep in 2024.

Up Next

Bucknell will either play in the Patriot League Tournament or regroup for the 2027 campaign.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Laura Caro

Isabella Charlton

Bri Frazilus

Marion Haskell

Calli Kenny

Tijana Kostic

Cameron Lloyd

Peyton McGee

Caleigh O'Connell

Katie O'Sullivan

Sidney Shaffer

Kaitlyn Taylor

Riley Tucker

Bucknell University Athletics