Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Bucknell
Volleyball Returns to West Point for Matchups Against Bucknell, Loyola Maryland
October 09, 2025 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (10-5, 4-2) makes its way back home to Gillis Field House for Alumni Weekend and two Patriot League matchups against the Bucknell University Bison (7-8, 4-2) and the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (4-11, 2-4).
First, the Black Knights open the weekend home stand with a matchup with Bucknell, with the two teams splitting the season series in 2024 before Army defeated the Bison 3-2 in the Patriot League Tournament Semifinals last season. The rematch takes place on October 10 at 6 p.m. ET inside Gillis Field House.
Then, Army returns to Gillis Field House just over 24 hours later on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. ET, taking on Loyola Maryland. Similar to the Bison, the Black Knights and the Greyhounds split the 2024 season series, with Army most recently earning a 3-1 win.
For fans who can't make it to either match at Gillis Field House, both matches will stream live on ESPN+.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEKEND: The Black Knights finished 1-1 this weekend, with a sweep over Holy Cross and a loss against Colgate. Chloe Murakami led the Black Knights with 23 kills and 30 digs on the weekend. Nathalie Tulumaris had a career game against Holy Cross, earning a personal-best three aces. Victoria Kasanganay also earned season-highs in hitting percent(.462) and blocks (6.0) against the Crusaders.
MURAKAMI MAGIC: Chloe Murakami has played an essential role in Army's 4-2 start in Patriot League play. Murakami leads the team in league play with 82 kills and 63 digs, averaging 3.9 kills per set and 3.0 digs per set. She also averages a team-best 4.21 points per set. 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: Sophomore Naomi Chinchar, the second half of Army's offensive distribution, has had strong showings for the past three games. The sophomore has finished with 25+ assists over the past three games, including earning 30 against Lafayette and a career-high 37 against Holy Cross. In Army's last game against Colgate, Chinchar earned her eighth double-double with 26 assists and 11 digs.
JACK OF ALL TRADES: Senior outside hitter Mackenzie Lynch serves as the primary driving force of not only Army's attack, but also in all aspects on the floor. The senior has had 10+ kills in 11 of Army's 13 games this season, including a season-high 20 kills against Green Bay. Currently, she leads the team in kills (175), kills per set (3.43), points (199.0) and points per set (3.90). She also added 148 digs, 27 blocks and 10 service aces.
PROLIFIC PLAYMAKER: Junior Juliette Myrick serves as the primary playmaker for Army. She leads the team with 337 assists so far this season, averaging 6.88 a set. In six games this season, Myrick finished with 30+ assists. On Sept. 7 against Binghamton, she surpassed the 1,000 all-time career assists mark. She earned her second triple-double with 29 assists, 10 kills and 13 digs at Navy on Friday. She tallied a season-high 38 assists against Bryant Sept. 13.
THE RISE OF PARKER: Michelle Parker has quickly risen as an impact player in the middle for the Black Knights. Parker also leads the team with a .336 hitting percentage and is second with 37.0 total blocks and is third on the team with 0.84 blocks per set. She earned career-high 10 kills, .600 hitting percentage, and 13.5 points alongside a season-high seven blocks at Navy on Sept. 19.
CAN'T GET PAST VICTORIA: Alongside Parker, Victoria Kasanganay balances out the middle attack and block for Army. Last week, Kasanganay earned a season-high six blocks and .462 hitting percentage against Holy Cross. The sophomore also earned a career-high nine kills against Lafayette on Sept. 27. She has finished with 3+ blocks in four games this season, three of them being games where Kasanganay has earned six total blocks.
SETTING THE STANDARD: Army holds some of the best numbers in NCAA Division I in several statistical categories. Army's defense is ranked in the top 30 in the nation, averaging 16.11 digs per set. The team is also in the top 75 in four other statistical categories, including opponent hitting percentage (68), kills per set (72) and team attacks per set (17). They are also just outside the top 75 in assists per set (87).
BACK LINE DEFENDERS: The Black Knights are one of the top teams in the country in defending their back line. Army currently averages 16.11 digs a set, which sits as the 27th-best mark in NCAA Div. I, above schools including Texas, Penn State, Louisville, Creighton, Pitt, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Annette Lee and Mackenzie Lynch lead the passing efforts, with the two having 166 digs (3.39 per set) and 164 digs (2.88 per set), respectively. Three other Black Knights are over 100 digs this season, including Naomi Chinchar (134), Chloe Murakami (146) and Juliette Myrick (124).
History with Bucknell
- The Black Knights lead the series, 48-16
- Current Streak: Army, 2 wins
- Last Army win: Nov. 22, 2024, 3-2
- Last Bucknell win: Sept. 21, 2024, 3-1
Scouting the Bison
- Bucknell holds a 7-8 overall record and is 4-2 in Patriot League play, and currently sits just behind Army in fourth in the standings. After winning their first three league games, the Bison have lost two of their last three games.
- Interim head coach Jeremy Young is in his first season after serving as an assistant coach at Bucknell since 2021. In 2024, Young helped lead the Bison to 21 wins and a program-best 13 wins in league play.
- Tijana Kostic leads the Bison with 159 kills, with one-time Patriot League Player of the Week Sidney Shaffer adding 155 kills just behind her. Shaffer also holds a team-high .313 hitting percentage and 42.0 total blocks this season.
- Caleigh O'Connell drives the offense for Bucknell, totaling 532 assists this season, averaging 9.17 per set.
- One-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, Cameron Lloyd, leads the Bison defense with 248 digs, averaging 4.28 digs per set. She also leads the team with 16 service aces this season.
History with Loyola Maryland
- The Black Knights lead the series, 17-8
- Current Streak: Army, 1 win
- Last Army win: Oct. 25, 2024, 3-1
- Last Loyola Maryland win: Sept. 28, 2024, 3-2
Scouting the Greyhounds
- Loyola Maryland is 4-11 to start the season with a 2-4 league play record, placing them in seventh in the Patriot League standings. Their conference wins include victories over Holy Cross (Sept. 19) and Navy (Sept. 27).
- Alija Pittenger is in her eleventh season at the helm, posting a 103-172 overall record during her tenure. Before heading to Baltimore, Pittenger spent six seasons at Fairfield, finishing with a 113-77 record.
- Kacy Sekunda leads the Greyhounds with a team-high 153 kills in just 12 matches played, all while hitting .202 percent. She is also second on the team with 180 assists and third on the team with 126 digs in 2025.
- Gabi Verdicchio also helps run the offense with a team-high 185 assists while also adding 11 service aces. Four Greyhounds also have over 20 blocks: Elsie Afful (29.0), Morgan Crawford (28.0), Ellie Joffe (26.0) and Mariah Sanabia (25.0).
- Addie Huber leads Loyola Maryland in two categories, digs and service aces. She leads the Greyhounds with 262 digs (4.52 per set) alongside 20 service aces so far this season.
