Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Colgate
Volleyball Return to Gillis Field House for Rematches Against Colgate, Holy Cross
October 24, 2025 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (13-5, 7-2) plays the first two games of its final four games at Gillis Field House on Saturday and Sunday, taking on the Colgate Raiders (14-6, 9-0) and the Holy Cross Crusaders (7-18, 1-8).
The Black Knights aim to avenge their 0-3 loss to Colgate from Oct. 4. The teams face off Saturday, Oct. 25 at 4 p.m. ET at Gillis Field House.
On Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, Army welcomes Holy Cross, a team they defeated 3-0 on Oct. 3 in Worcester, Mass. This is their second meeting this season.
If fans can't make the matchups inside Gillis Field House this weekend, both matches will stream live on ESPN+.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEKEND: The Black Knights played one game on the road at Loyola Maryland, where they were able to earn a 3-1 win over the Greyhounds. Mackenzie Lynch led the way with a season-high 22 kills while hitting .410, while Juliette Myrick returned after a four-game absence and led Army with 27 assists.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior outside hitter Mackenzie Lynch was named Patriot League Player of the Week. Lynch led Army's hitting to a win over Loyola Maryland. She finished the game with two personal season-highs, 22 kills and a .410 hitting percentage, in four sets. The 22 kills mark the most kills an Army player has earned in a match this season and the second most kills Lynch has earned in a game in her career. Lynch also added nine digs and one block.
MURAKAMI MAGIC: Chloe Murakami has played an essential role in Army's 7-2 start in Patriot League play. Murakami leads the team in league play with 131 kills and 143.5 points, averaging 4.09 kills per set and 4.48 points per set during league play. Two weeks ago, the senior tied her career-high of 20 kills against Bucknell. She was named Patriot League Player of the Week on Sept. 30, the first Army athlete to earn the honor in 2025.
CHINCHAR ON THE ASSIST: Over the past six matches, sophomore Naomi Chinchar has taken control of Army's offensive operations. The setter has averaged 35.0 assists during the span, earning 30+ assists in four of the matches played. She now leads the team with 387 assists this season and now averages 5.69 assists per set. Chinchar earned a career-high 46 assists against Loyola Maryland on Oct. 11.
DEFENDING THE BACK LINE: Sophomore Nicole Stroud has reemerged as the primary libero for Army during Patriot League play. Stroud currently has 96 digs during league play, averaging 3.00 per set, which sits as the second best on the team. The sophomore also sent a new career-high of 31 digs in Army's four-set win over Loyola Maryland on Oct. 11. With the 31 digs, Stroud became the first Black Knight since 2019 to earn 30+ digs, with Ana Oglivie earning 30 against Loyola Maryland on Nov. 16. 2019.
THE RETURN OF MYRICK: Juliette Myrick returned to the floor for the Black Knights on Saturday against Loyola Maryland. The junior setter added nine kills (.353), 27 assists, 12 digs and two blocks in her return after not playing since Sept. 27 against Lafayette. Before missing the last four games due to injury, Myrick led the Black Knights in assists, assists per game and service aces.
FEELING THE (BLACK)BURN: Freshman middle blocker Corrine Blackburn has emerged as a strong middle presence for Army over the past three games. Blackburn set three career-highs against Loyola Maryland on Oct. 11, finishing with eight kills while hitting .438 and adding 11.0 points. She also finished with 3+ total blocks in the past three games, including five in the same Oct. 11 match. She leads the team with a team-high .333 hitting percentage.
SETTING THE STANDARD: Army holds some of the best numbers in NCAA Division I in several statistical categories. Army's defense is ranked towards the top 20 in the nation, averaging 16.38 digs per set. The team is also in the top 50 or higher in three other statistical categories, including opponent hitting percentage (39), kills per set (43) and assists per set (48). They are also in the top 15 for team attacks per set (13).
DIGGING FOR THE WIN: The Black Knights are one of the top teams in the country in defending their back line. Army currently averages 16.39 digs a set, which sits as the 22nd-best mark in NCAA Div. I, above schools including Texas, Penn State, Louisville, Creighton, Pitt, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Mackenzie Lynch leads Army with 202 digs this season, with Chloe Murakami adding 174 and Annette Lee adding 166. The duo of Army setters, Naomi Chinchar and Juliette Myrick, adding 165 and 136 digs respectively, and Nicole Stroud also adds 100+ digs with 112 overall this season.
History with Colgate
- The Black Knights lead the series, 45-42
- Current Streak: Colgate, 3 wins
- Last Army win: Oct. 6, 2024, 3-1
- Last Colgate win: Oct. 4, 2025, 3-0
Scouting the Raiders
- Colgate is 14-6 overall this season with a 9-0 league play record, placing them at the top of the Patriot League standings.
- Head coach Ryan Baker is in his 20th season in Hamilton and currently holds a 23-22 record when playing Army throughout his career.
- Two-time Patriot League Player of the Week, Milan Bayless, leads the team with 309 kills, 4.07 kills per set, 359 points and 4.72 points per set. She is also second on the team with 18 aces and is third with 53 blocks.
- Lal Akin, one-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, is second on the team and with 69 total blocks this season, while Maddie Rudolph leads the way with 79 blocks. Derek Cukur holds a team-high 489 assists (6.52 per set).
- Julia Oster leads the team at the back and service line, holding a team-best 236 digs (3.19 per set) and also boasts 21 service aces.
History with Holy Cross
- The Black Knights lead the series, 70-7
- Current Streak: Army, 13 wins
- Last Army win: Oct. 3, 2025, 3-0
- Last Holy Cross win: March 12, 2021, 3-1
Scouting the Crusaders
- Holy Cross holds a 7-18 overall record and is 1-8 in Patriot League play and currently sits at the bottom of the Patriot League standings.
- Head coach Matt Cribbin is in his first season in Worcester, previously posting a 238-142 record after coaching at American International for 13 seasons.
- Former Patriot League Rookie of the Week, Emma Sorensen, leads the Crusaders' hitting efforts with 236 kills and 3.15 kills per set while also having a team-best 268 points and 3.57 points per set. She is also third on the team in digs (161) and in service aces (23) .
- Alana Whitwell leads Holy Cross on the back line offensively and defensively. She has a team-high 186 digs (2.45 per set) alongside a team-high 31 aces.
- Katie Russell and Tiana Ozarpaci split setting duties, with 539 and 251 assists, respectively. Lacey Murphy guards the net, posting 64 blocks so far in 2025.
