Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
American
Volleyball to Close Regular Season Play in Gillis Field House Against American, Navy
October 30, 2025 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (15-5, 9-2) plays its final two regular-season games inside Christl Arena on Friday and Saturday, playing the American University Eagles (17-2, 10-1) and the Navy Midshipmen (10-10, 6-5).
First, the Black Knights hope to avenge their 1-3 loss to American on Sept. 20. The teams face off Friday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. ET inside Gillis Field House.
On Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, Army faces Navy, the rival it topped 3-1 on Sept. 19. The Star Match win also opened league play. Senior Night will also take place at Gillis Field House, honoring firsties Ashli Alcala-Romero, Norah Shattan, Chloe Murakami, and Mackenzie Lynch.
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 swept their home stand last weekend, earning wins against Colgate and Holy Cross. Army handed Colgate its first loss during Patriot League play in a 3-2 come-from-behind reverse sweep victory, then swept the Holy Cross Crusaders 3-0.
BACK TO BACK HONORS: Senior outside hitter Mackenzie Lynch was named Patriot League Player of the Week for the second straight week on Tuesday. The senior finished last week with 29 kills on a .257 hitting percentage, 25 digs and eight blocks to lead Army West Point to a 2-0 weekend. In a five-set comeback over Colgate, the senior recorded a double-double with 19 kills and 14 digs to go with five blocks. She added 10 kills on a season-high .455 hitting percentage in a sweep of Holy Cross.
FEELING THE (BLACK)BURN: Freshman middle blocker Corrine Blackburn has emerged as a strong middle presence for Army, this week being named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week. Last week, the freshman finished with 13 blocks, earning a career-high 12 blocks in a single game against Colgate. Blackburn also set career-highs with eight kills in the match against Colgate, finishing the match with a career-best 15.0 points.
MURAKAMI MAGIC: Chloe Murakami has played an essential role in Army's 9-2 start in Patriot League play. Murakami leads the team in league play with 162 kills and 175.5 points, averaging 4.00 kills per set and 4.39 points per set during league play. Last week, the senior tied her career-high of 20 kills against Colgate. She was named Patriot League Player of the Week on Sept. 30, the first Army athlete to earn the honor in 2025
HEATING UP JUST IN TIME: With their two wins last week, Army clinched a spot in the 2025 Patriot League Tournament, starting November 18. This season marks the 32nd time Army has competed in the tournament, the most appearances by any program in Patriot League history. Army also has five-straight wins, its longest win streak of the season, and the longest regular-season win streak the Black Knights have had since 2023.
DEFENDING THE BACK LINE: Sophomore Nicole Stroud has reemerged as the primary libero for Army during Patriot League play. Stroud currently has 99 digs during league play, averaging 2.48 per set. 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 in a single game, 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 Oct. 18 against Loyola Maryland. In her first three games back, the setter had finished with 20+ assists in each game plus added 12 kills while hitting .309. Myrick also has 26 digs and five blocks in her return as well. She leads the team, averaging 6.74 assists per set, and is second on the team in service aces with 14 total this season.
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 16.37 digs per set. The team is also in the top 50 or higher in three other statistical categories, including opponent hitting percentage (30), kills per set (33) and assists per set (46). They are also in the top 15 for team attacks per set (12).
DIGGING FOR THE WIN: The Black Knights are one of the top teams in the country in defending their back line. Army currently averages 16.37 digs a set, which sits as the 23rd-best mark in NCAA Div. I, above schools including Texas, Penn State, Louisville, Creighton, Pitt, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Mackenzie Lynch leads Army with 227 digs this season, with Chloe Murakami adding 200 and Annette Lee adding 185. The duo of Army setters, Naomi Chinchar and Juliette Myrick, adding 193 and 150 digs respectively, and Nicole Stroud also adds 100+ digs with 115 overall this season.
STAR MATCH RECAP: The Black Knights and Midshipmen renewed their rivalry on Sept. 19th for the 44th annual Star Match as part of the Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA. The Black Knights went on to defeat the Midshipmen in four sets. Navy would claim the first set 25-23, but Army came storming back to claim the next three in Wesley Brown Field House, 25-20, 24-14 and 25-22 to take the 3-1 win. Five Black Knights finished the game with 10+ kills, Chloe Murakami had 17 kills and Juliette Myrick tallied her second triple-double to secure the Star.
History with American
- The Eagles lead the series, 47-13
- Current Streak: American, 4 wins
- Last Army win: Nov. 4, 2023, 3-2
- Last American win: Sept. 20, 2025, 3-1
Scouting the Eagles
- American sits tied with Colgate at the top of the league standings, with its only league play loss coming against the Raiders.
- Six-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week Sophie Dufour leads American with 287 kills and 3.88 kills per set. She also holds a team-high 326.5 points and 4.41 points per set.
- Deniz Dakak conducts the offense with a team-high 764 assists and 10.32 assists per set. Meanwhile, Ales Ioannou leads the team with 49 aces.
- Bella Marrero leads the Eagles' passing with 300 digs and 4.41 digs per set. Prinzez Zeck controls the net with 75 blocks in 2025.
History with Navy
- The Black Knights lead the series, 56-21
- Current Streak: Army, 2 wins
- Last Army win: Oct. 26, 2024, 3-0
- Last Navy win: Nov. 11, 2023, 3-2
Scouting the Crusaders
- Navy currently sits in fourth in the Patriot League standings with a 6-5 record in league play.
- Two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week Ava Toppin leads Navy in several statistical categories, including kills (187), points (254.0), blocks (87) and blocks per set (1.09). Farrah Eike leads the team in kills per set (3.13) and points per set (3.41).
- Isa Boyd and Arleigh Hanson direct Navy's offense, with Boyd leading the team with 352 assists (4.40 per set) and Hanson adding 266 assists (5.66 per set).
- Amara Chambers leads the efforts on the backline with 250 digs while also holding a team-best 29 service aces.
