Score: VCU 3, American 1 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-19)
Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 11-10, American 11-11
 
The short story: Freshman Kialah Jefferson posted the first 20-20 match of her career to help push VCU to a non-conference win over American Wednesday night.
 
OPENING VOLLEY

• Jefferson, an outside hitter from Prosper, Texas, recorded five kills in each set to finish with 20 for the match, and added 21 digs for the Rams. She registered nine digs in the third set alone
• Graduate outside hitter Jovana Vukcevic and sophomore middle blocker Jasmine Knight added 14 kills apiece to the VCU attack. Vukcevic hit .324 with a pair of blocks
• Senior libero Alyna Draper, the reigning Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Week, was credited with 24 digs for the Black and Gold
• Zeynep Uzen led American with 12 kills and three blocks 

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU piled up 83 digs in four sets as the Eagles struggled on the attack. American hit .048 and .022 in the first and second sets, respectively, as the Rams built a 2-0 lead
• The Rams limited the Eagles to a .146 hitting percentage overall
• VCU turned away comeback-minded American with strong play down the stretch in the fourth set. The Rams snapped a 13-all tie with three straight points, sparked by a kill from sophomore middle Kylie Loftis, and never trailed again. American pulled within 21-19, but Knight and Jefferson spiked kills to bookend a 4-0 VCU run to close the match 

NOTABLE

• Jefferson overcame a slow start offensively. She spiked 10 of her kills and hit .304 in the final two frames
• Freshman setter Katrina Davis handed out 32 assists, while classmate Kaytie Gosiene provided 12 digs from the back row

NEXT UP
VCU will host first place Dayton on Friday, Oct. 22 at the Siegel Center in a critical Atlantic 10 Conference match. First service is scheduled for 6 p.m.