Volleyball Stumbles in First Patriot League Match of the Season

Friday, September 20

Bethlehem, PA

7:00 PM

Army West Point

4-6,0-1Patriot

Lehigh

7-3,1-0Patriot

Army West Point

Lehigh

Volleyball Stumbles in First Patriot League Match of the Season

September 20, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Army Volleyball hit the road for their first Patriot League match of the 2024 season as they traveled down to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. The Black Knights started out strong, putting up decisive wins in the first two sets before stumbling hard in the final three and ultimately falling 2-3 to the Mountain Hawks.

Army battled hard throughout the match with several players posting key performances. Senior rightside hitter Kingsley Wallace earned a new career high for kills in a single match with 21 kills, besting her previous best of 18 set earlier this season.

Sophomore setter Juliette Myrick nearly notched her fourth triple-double of her career and of the season with 9 kills, 29 assists, and 19 digs. Junior outside hitter Mackenzie Lynch delivered a career high, team-high, and match-second 21 digs throughout the five sets of action.

Match Recap
The two squads were impressively evenly matched coming into Patriot League play and the opening frame showcased that similarity from the get-go.

The Black Knights demonstrated their aggression from the first whistle, finding a quick lead off a ball handling error from the Mountain Hawks and a kill from senior Kingsley Wallace.

Lehigh, determined to fight for the win on their home court, found stride and began to match the Black Knights step for step as the set progressed.

After struggling to find a lead with 11 ties between the two teams, the Black Knights finally found their edge in the match and battled towards a 22-17 lead with a pair of kills from Chloe Murakami and a series of forced errors by the Mountain Hawks.

Lehigh's squad logged a handful of kills to broach the 20-point threshold, but the Black Knights remained in control and clinched the first set 25-21 with Wallace's fifth kill of the set.

Wallace and Murakami fanned the Black Knights' offense spark right back into a flame as the second set began, pushing Army up to a 6-2 lead and helping Army stay in the lead throughout the remainder of the second frame.

Lehigh fought valiantly against the Black Knights, bringing the match within one point at 10-9, but Army put its foot down and surged ahead to a 17-11 lead on a solo block from freshman Tatum Grimes.

With the momentum firmly in Army's grasp, the Mountain Hawks stumbled late in the frame and the Black Knights capitalized on their energy to claim the second set 25-18.

The Mountain Hawks made a run at a comeback in the third frame as the home team found a 6-3 lead in the third frame as the Black Knights failed to find their footing as the set began.

Army refused to give in, however, and posted a 5-1 run to take the lead back and step into the lead on a kill from sophomore setter Juliette Myrick.

The Black Knights held the lead for much of the third frame, looking for a sweep over the Mountain Hawks until Lehigh leapt into the lead after a 19-19 tie, delaying Army's onslaught as they claimed the third frame 25-20.

Army found their fight once more as the Black Knights grabbed a 6-3 lead early in the fourth frame, holding off the Mountain Hawks as they closed the gap to just one point at 8-7 in Army's favor.

The Black Knights battled to hold onto the lead, but the Mountain Hawks stunned Army with a smattering of kills across their front row, flying up to a 24-15 lead.

Murakami and Wallace delivered again for Army, holding off Lehigh at set point for three more points before the Mountain Hawks could capitalize on their momentum and force the match into a fifth set.

A kill from freshman libero Nicole Stroud send the Black Knights to a 6-3 lead in the tiebreak set and Army looked ready to write a new story for themselves at Lehigh after falling 2-3 to the Mountain Hawks at their home gym in 2023 in a match where they went up two sets initially before losing the final three.

Lehigh's squad chipped away at Army's lead but the Black Knights earned the point to make the two teams switch sides in a 8-7 advantage.

The Mountain Hawks felt the momentum from their comeback however, and put up a 8-3 run to sail ahead to a 15-11 win in the fifth set and secure their 3-2 win over the Black Knights.

Black Knight Bullet Points

The loss marks the second match in a row that Army has played at Lehigh, won the first two sets, and then dropped the final three.
Kingsley Wallace dominated the match with her offensive numbers, putting up a career and match high 21 kills over the five sets on a .390 hitting percentage.
The Black Knights out-swung the Mountain Hawks with 61 kills to Lehigh's 54.
In a showdown between the two top blocking teams in the Patriot League, the Mountain Hawks came out on top, putting up 17 total blocks to the Black Knights' 10.
Three Black Knights put up career numbers in the match – Juliette Myrick with 19 digs, Mackenzie Lynch with 21 digs, and Kingsley Wallace with 21 kills.

Coach's Corner
"We played two good sets today," said Head Coach Alma Kovaci Lee. "I have to give credit to Lehigh, they are very experienced and played the long game tonight. Their serving and passing got better as the match went on and they made some adjustments during the match that took us a long time to respond to."

"The season is young and so are we," Kovaci Lee continued. "We are either winning or learning. We will get some rest tonight and compete against Bucknell tomorrow."

Up Next
The Black Knights will head to Lewisburg, Pa. on Saturday, Sept. 21 to compete against Bucknell in a matchup beginning at 4pm 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.