Volleyball to Face Nationally Recognized Teams

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point volleyball has its first road test of the 2016 season as the Black Knights head to Austin, Texas, for the American Campus Classic hosted by the University of Texas Sept. 2-3. The Cadets will open the weekend against Lipscomb Friday afternoon (1:30 p.m. ET) and No. 3 Texas in the night cap at 8:30 p.m. (ET) in Gregory Gym. Saturday will feature Army and UTSA in the 7:30 p.m. (ET) time slot.

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Army Game Notes • GoArmyWestPoint.com

NOTES

The Cadets opened the 2016 season at home for the Black Knights Invitational. Army fell to 0-3 on the year after two five-set matches against Bakersfield and Valparaiso, and a four setter versus Hofstra.
Freshmen Haven Bethune, Nikki Lum and Allie Strong stepped up on the court for the Black Knights. Bethune fought her way into the starting lineup as the center of the offense and dished out 62 assists and tallied 14 digs.
Lum was two digs short of a double-double in her first collegiate appearance for Army. She notched 31 assists and eight digs opposite Bakersfield while also recording two kills and a service ace.
Strong posted a dig-kill double-double against Valparaiso with 12 kills and 12 digs.
Rachel Gearon is currently leading Army's offense with a .366 hitting percentage. Amber Clay and Vanessa Wesley are also up there with an average of 2.64 and 2.36 kills per set, respectively.
Megan Bryn stepped into the libero role during the opening weekend to notch career-highs in digs (25) and assists (5).

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH ALMA KOVACI LEE

"We are very excited to get back on the court this weekend. Playing in Texas is a great opportunity for our team to play at a high-level and to play at one of the top facilities in the country. All three teams we are facing will be tough, but we want to put ourselves among their level to be ready for the rest of the season."
"Texas is the home to many of our players and the home to our alumni and other West Point graduates. We can't wait to feed off our southern fans' energy this weekend."

TOURNAMENT MATCHUPS

The Black Knights will start a new series with all three opponents this weekend after never facing them in the past.
The third-ranked Longhorns enter the weekend with a 1-1 record after defeating Oregon, 3-1, and falling to No. 1 Nebraska, 3-0.
Ebony Nwanebu led the Longhorns in kills, recording 33 (4.71) in the two matches for a .342 hitting percentage (20 at .348 vs. Oregon; 13 at .333 vs. Nebraska). She also had 21 digs (3.00/set) and four blocks (0.57).
Lipscomb has an unblemished 3-0 record on the year with wins over CSUN, Pepperdine and Rhode Island.
Carlyle Nusbaum was named the ASUN Player of the Week for her 54 kills over the three-match weekend. Her 23 against Pepperdine was a single-match high for the conference this season.
The Roadrunners are also off to a 3-0 start as they captured the SMU Doubletree Classic crown last weekend.
Dajana Boskovic leads the pack averaging 4.13 kills per set, to go with 3.38 digs and 0.88 blocks per frame. Jessica Waldrip helps the team's .306 hitting percentage with her 10.89 assists per set and is tied for second on the squad with five aces.

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Volleyball to Face Nationally Recognized Teams

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Haven Bethune

Megan Bryn

Amber Clay

Rachel Gearon

Nikki Lum

Allie Strong

Vanessa Wesley

Army West Point Athletics

Volleyball to Face Nationally Recognized Teams

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Haven Bethune

Megan Bryn

Amber Clay

Rachel Gearon

Nikki Lum

Allie Strong

Vanessa Wesley

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