Volleyball Balks Against Bryant in Straight Set Loss

Saturday, September 14

West Point, NY

3:00 PM

Army West Point

3-5,0-0Patriot

Bryant

9-2,0-0America East

Bryant

Army West Point

Volleyball Balks Against Bryant in Straight Set Loss

September 15, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army Volleyball returned to action in Gillis Field House for their second match of the 2024 Black Knights Invitational. The Black Knights took on Bryant and after two tight sets, Army stumbled in the third to fall 3-0 to the Bulldogs.

Match Recap
Army entered Saturday's match ready to earn their first win of the weekend in their midday matchup against Bryant, taking a 5-1 lead in the first set with quick kills from usual suspects Kingsley Wallace and Mackenzie Lynch.

The Black Knights continued to press their advantage up to a 10-5 lead before the Bulldogs cut it down to a one-point differential with a 4-0 run of their own.

A block from Mackenzie Lynch and Breelyn Bender set the Black Knights' momentum in motion again and Norah Shattan capitalized with a service ace.

The Bulldogs battered at the Black Knights lineup until the match finally drew to a tie at 15-15.

Army fought to regain their lead, pulling ahead a point or two at a time only for the Bulldogs to equalize at 24-24 where a kill and an Army attaching error ended the first set in Bryant's favor.

The Black Knights leapt ahead early in the second set after a pair of aces from freshman Nicole Stroud sparked Army towards a 7-3 advantage.

Tatum Grimes put away a decisive kill, breaking through the Bulldog block to stifle a brief resurgence from Bryant and remain in the lead.

Army's squad put up a staunch fight to maintain their lead, capitalizing on a set of error from the Bulldogs to cross the 20-point threshold first in the second frame.

The Bulldogs burst into the lead with a five-point run of their own to come within two points of securing the second set before Bender buried another kill through the Bryant block to cut the advantage to one.

Freshman Kealakai Bandy put away a crucial kill at the 22-24 mark to hold off a set point opportunity for Bryant and cut the difference to just one before an attacking error from Bryant brought the match tied at 24-24 once again.

The Black Knights balked at the finish line, however, and the second set too went to the Bulldogs after back-to-back errors from Army.

Army took the early lead once more in the third set, finding a 4-1 lead on the heels of a kill from Bender and a block from Wallace and Grimes.

Bryant's squad carried the momentum after claiming the first two sets and the Bulldogs found their way to a 9-7 lead before the Black Knights were able to equalize.

Back-to-back kills from Wallace and sophomore Juliette Myrick pushed Army back into the lead, making their way up to an 18-16 lead before the Bulldogs could find a rhythm again.

The visitors from Rhode Island wrestled for control of the match and found a rotation Army struggled to best, going on a late 9-1 run to seal their victory with a 25-19 mark in set three.

Black Knight Bullet Points

Army is now 4-1 all-time against the Bulldogs with a 3-1 record over Bryant at home.
Kingsley Wallace once again led Army's offense in kills, posting nine kills on a .125 hitting percentage over the three sets of action while Tatum Grimes stood as the squad's most efficient attacker with a season-high .538 hitting percentage from a seven kill and zero error performance.
Freshman Nicole Stroud took the lead as the Black Knights' libero against the Bulldogs and led Army's defense with 14 digs. Stroud was a threat to Bryant from the serving line, delivering a team-high two service aces in the contest.
Army's block served a critical role to the Black Knights' defensive efforts, totaling three solo blocks and 14 block assists compared to Bryant's one solo block and six block assists.
Saturday's contest was a tight battle of wills between the two opponents with 33 kills to Bryant's 40, 30 digs to Bryant's 34, and 51 digs to Bryant's 51.

Coach's Corner
"Today was not our day. We played tough at times but didn't maintain that grit through the entire match. It seemed like mistakes came in a row and we were one step too slow one too many times," said Head Coach Alma Kovaci Lee. "We are usually good at closing sets, just not today. We look forward to getting some rest tonight and coming back on our home court to compete against Sacred Heart tomorrow."

Up Next
The Black Knights will conclude the Black Knights Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 15^thwith their match against Sacred Heart, set to begin at 1pm ET.

Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point women's volleyball, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_VB and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.