Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Bucknell
Volleyball Closes Out Regular Season Against Bucknell
November 15, 2025 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (17-7, 11-4) closes out the regular season Saturday, November 15, at 4 p.m. ET on the road in Lewisburg, Pa., matching up against the Bucknell University Bison (11-13, 8-7).
The Black Knights won the first matchup against the two squads on October 10, sweeping the Bison inside Gillis Field House.
For fans who cannot attend the match in Pennsylvania, the match will stream live on ESPN+.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEKEND: The Black Knights traveled to the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania last weekend, ultimately finishing 1-1. The Black Knights fell to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 0-3 before claiming a 3-2 win in Easton, Pa., over the Lafayette Leopards.
TOURNEY TIME: The Black Knights clinched its spot in the Patriot League Tournament on October 26 after sweeping the Holy Cross Crusaders. After the past two weeks outcomes, the Black Knights officially was named the No. 3 overall seed, and will host the First Round of the tournament inside Gillis Field House. They will take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
SEASON SERIES SWEEPS: As of this point in the season, the Black Knights have swept the season series with four of their Patriot League opponents: Loyola Maryland, Holy Cross, Navy and Lafayette. Army first swept Loyola with back-to-back 3-1 wins on Oct. 11 and Oct. 18. The Black Knights added Holy Cross to the list after earning two 3-0 sweeps on Oct. 3 and Oct. 26. Finally, Navy joined the list after this weekend, with Army earning a 3-1 win against the Midshipmen on Sept. 19, then most recently a 3-2 on Nov. 1. Army earned a 3-0 win on Sept. 27 and a 3-2 win on Saturday to sweep the Leopards.
MURAKAMI MAGIC: Chloe Murakami has had a breakout season, becoming one of Army's most dangerous threars. She leads the team overall and in league play in kills, kills per set, points, points per set and in service aces. Last week, she finished with a team-best 29 kills, averaging 3.63 kills per set while hitting .247 percent. On Nov. 1, she set a new single-game career-high of 22 kills while hitting .288 and added a team-high three service aces and two blocks. She finished the night with a career-high 26.0 points in Army's win over Navy.
JACK OF ALL TRADES: After missing three weeks of the season, Juliette Myrick returned to the floor for the Black Knights on Oct. 18 against Loyola Maryland. Since her return, the setter had finished with 20+ assists in five games, plus added 37 kills. Myrick also has 66 digs and 11 blocks in her return as well. She also earned a team-high and season-high 20 digs against Lafayette on Saturday.
RUNNING THE MIDDLE: Two middle blockers have played a key role for the Black Knights this season, Michelle Parker and Breelyn Bender. Parker leads the Black Knights middle core with 95 kills, 1.48 kills per set, 1.96 points per set and a team-high 56.0 total blocks. Breelyn Bender leads the team with her .264 attack percentage and is second on the team with 50.0 blocks. Corrine Blackburn, one-time Defensive Player of the Week rounds out the middles with 41.0 total blocks.
DEFENDING THE BACK LINE: Freshman libero Annette Lee made her 18th and 19th start last week as Army's primary back line defender. Lee currently sits in third overall on the team in digs this season, having 235 digs so far in 2025, while also averaging a .949 reception percentage. The freshman finished last week with 24 digs, earning 19 of her digs in Army's five-set win over Lafayette. Lee has earned match-highs in digs in seven games this season, five of the games being wins.
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 25 in the nation, averaging 16.32 digs per set. The team is also in the top 100 or higher in three other statistical categories, including opponent hitting percentage (35), kills per set (68) and assists per set (81). They are also are in the top 20 for team attacks per set (16).
DIG DUG: The Black Knights are one of the top teams in the country in defending their back line. Army currently averages 16.32 digs a set, which sits as the 30th-best mark in NCAA Div. I, above schools including Texas, Penn State, Louisville, Creighton, Pitt, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Mackenzie Lynch leads Army with 269 digs this season, with Chloe Murakami adding 239 and Annette Lee adding 235. The duo of Army setters, Naomi Chinchar and Juliette Myrick, adding 226 and 200 digs respectively, and Nicole Stroud also adds 100+ digs with 115 overall this season.
History with Bucknell
- The Black Knights lead the series, 49-16
- Current Streak: Army, 3 wins
- Last Army win: Oct. 10, 2025, 3-0
- Last Bucknell win: Sept. 21, 2024, 3-1
Scouting the Bison
- Bucknell holds an 11-13 overall record and is 8-7 in Patriot League play and is currently battling with Navy to claim fourth in the final Patriot League standings. With a Bucknell win and Navy loss on Saturday, the Bison will host Navy in the First Round of the tournament.
- 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.
- One-time Patriot League Player of the Week Sidney Shaffer leads the team with 262 kills. Shaffer also holds a team-high .328 hitting percentage and is second on the team with 72.0 total blocks this season. Tijana Kostic is second on the team with 254 kills.
- Caleigh O'Connell drives the offense for Bucknell, totaling 800 assists this season, averaging 8.51 per set.
- One-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, Cameron Lloyd, leads the Bison defense with 395 digs, averaging 4.20 digs per set. She also leads the team with 30 service aces this season. Riley Tucker also plays a key role at the net, leading the team with 73.0 total blocks.
