Volleyball Sends Pioneers Packing In Black Knights Invitational Finale

Sunday, September 15

West Point, NY

1:00 PM

Army West Point

4-5,0-0Patriot

Sacred Heart

3-6,0-0MAAC

Sacred Heart

Army West Point

Volleyball Sends Pioneers Packing In Black Knights Invitational Finale

September 15, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army Volleyball completed its annual tournament on Sunday with the sixth and final match of the 2024 Black Knights Invitational. The Black Knights squared off against the Sacred Heart Pioneers and sent the Pioneers away 3-1 for the final match of the weekend.

Match Recap
With both teams looking for their first win of the weekend, the two squads clashed hard from the get-go.

Sacred Heart grabbed an early 5-2 lead before the Black Knights could get their feet under them and take the lead themselves following kills from Chloe Murakami and Juliette Myrick and a service ace from Naomi Chinchar.

The Pioneers found a groove and logged a 9-2 run with six kills to bring the first set to a 16-9 differential.

Army cut that split down to just two points with a 6-1 run with a spread of kills from its front row.

Kills from Kingsley Wallace and Murakami continued to shorten the gap as the match continued, bringing the Black Knights within one point of the Pioneers at 19-20.

The two teams fought point-by-point up to a 23-22 advantage for Sacred Heart when an Army attack error and kill from the Pioneers sealed the first set's fate.

The second set began in the same vein as the second set ended – fast-paced and neck-and-neck scoring.

The squads hit tied scored at 2-2, 9-9, 10-10, 12-12, 14-14, 15-15, and 20-20 as no clear momentum shift emerged during the second frame.

Army made a push to equalize the set tally with a trio of kills from Wallace and a Pioneer error putting the Black Knights in set-point territory for the first time in the match.

Sacred Heart put up a pair of kills to try and hold Army off but an attacking error for the visitors brought the match tied a one set apiece.

The set win was the boost Army needed, exploding to a 16-6 lead in the third frame as its offense displayed its formidable aggression.

After Army crossed the 20-point threshold, the Pioneers worked to mount a counterattack, putting up a 9-4 run to bring the set to 24-18, but Myrick cut their efforts short with a kill to give the Black Knights the go-ahead set.

The Black Knights felt the energy in Gillis Field House as the fourth frame began, once more breaking away early and finding an 8-4 lead.

Hungry for a win, the Pioneers pushed back and brought thing tied at 10 points all before Army's offense reared its head once more and pushed for a 19-11 Army lead.

The Black Knights continued to give no quarter, hammering the Pioneers left and right, finally forcing three consecutive attack errors from Sacred Heart to clinch the four-set win.

Black Knight Bullet Points

The Black Knights offense lit up in Sunday's match, burying 52 kills on a .262 clip.
Army outperformed Sacred Heart in all categories with a lead of 78 points to 55, 52 kills to 43, seven aces to the Pioneers' six, a staggering 19 blocks to six, 48 assists to Sacred Heart's 35, and 53 total digs to the visitors' 48.
Kingsley Wallace led the Black Knights' offense with 15 total kills on a .481 hitting percentage, her sixth match this season hitting over .300 and her third hitting over .400.
Four of Army's squad hit over .300 in the match – Wallace at .481, Juliette Myrick with a team-second 12 kills at .476, Tatum Grimes with six kills at .455, and Chloe Murakami with a team-third 10 kills and a .350 hitting percentage.
Juliette Myrick bagged her third triple-double of the season against the Pioneers with 12 digs, 25 assists, and 10 digs.
The Black Knights totaled 19 blocks in the contest including six solo blocks.
Chloe Murakami led Army's back line with 14 digs, followed by Nicole Stroud with 12 and Juliette Myrick with 10.
The Black Knights' freshmen led from the serving line as both Naomi Chinchar and Nicole Stroud earned three service aces.

Coach's Corner
"I'm really proud of our fight today," said Head Coach Alma Kovaci Lee. "We showed grit and willingness to fight at all times."

"Our blocking game was on fire today and Kingsley [Wallace] played another awesome match," Kovaci Lee continued. "Our setters did a much better job in this match and Chloe [Murakami] played incredibly tough today. It was great to see us improve throughout the weekend."

Up Next
Army will face its first Patriot League opponent of the season on Friday, Sept. 20^th as the Black Knights head to Bethlehem, Pa. to face off with Lehigh at 7pm 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.