Volleyball Falls in Five Set Thriller

Friday, August 26

West Point, NY

7 PM

Army West Point

0-1

Bakersfield

1-1

Bakersfield

Army

Volleyball Falls in Five Set Thriller

August 26, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point volleyball team dropped a five set thriller to Bakersfield on Friday in the opening day of the Black Knights Invitational. The Black Knights jumped out to a 2-1 lead, but the Roadrunners captured the next two sets to win the match.

The Cadets (0-1) opened their season at the Black Knights Invitational Friday while hosting Valparaiso (1-1), Hofstra (1-0) and Bakersfield (1-1).

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Amber Clay notched her first double-double of the season and 11th of her career with 10 kills and a team-high 17 digs. Her and Rachel Gearon led the team with 10 kills apiece.
Clay and Rachel Gearon led Army offensively with 10 kills apiece. Gearon recorded a .400 hitting percentage, while Clay hit at .333. Vanessa Wesley finished the night with eight kills, while Olivia Fairfield notched seven.
Defensively, Megan Bryn stepped in at libero and tallied 15 digs. Shannel Chong and Nikki Lum each recorded eight in the match.
Lum was two digs shy of her first career double-double as she dished out 31 assists, while also adding two kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Black Knights started the first set strong with an early 10-1 run. Army would eventually win the set after back and forth action 25-19.
The Roadrunners bounced back in set two to knot things up 1-1 with a 25-17 set score.
Clay's solo block in the beginning of the third set was a turning point for the Cadets. It sparked a 9-2 run and helped Army win 25-17.
In the fourth set, Bakersfield took control and cruised to a 25-11 advantage to bring the match to five sets.
The Black Knights had a comeback in the fifth set that fell short in the end. Clay and Gearon teamed up for a big block to bring the score to 3-2 in favor of Bakersfield. Gearon and Fairfield then posted kills to cut the Roadrunners' lead to 5-4.
Wesley continued with a kill before Allie Strong recorded a service ace to knot the score at 6-6. With Bakersfield leading 10-9, Lum retied the score at 10-10 with an ace of her own. The Roadrunners held on though to win the match on a 5-2 run.

UP NEXT

Army is back in action at Gillis Field House Saturday, Aug. 27, for the second day of the Black Knights Invitational. The Cadets face Valparaiso at 12 p.m. then Hofstra at the 7 p.m. timeslot.