Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Lehigh
Volleyball Hosts No. 6 Lehigh Inside Gillis Field House to Open Patriot League Tournament
November 18, 2025 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (17-8, 11-5) opens postseason play inside Gillis Field House on November 18 at 6 p.m. ET, taking on the No. 6 seed Lehigh University Mountain Hawks (12-13, 6-10).
During the regular season, the Black Knights split the regular-season series against the Mountain Hawks. Army drew first blood, defeating the Mountain Hawks 3-1 inside Gillis Field House on Sept. 26. Lehigh would go on to win the most recent matchup in Bethlehem on Nov. 7, 3-0.
For fans who cannot make it to the game inside Gillis Field House, 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 their spot in the Patriot League Tournament on October 26 after sweeping the Holy Cross Crusaders. After the past two weeks' outcomes, the Black Knights were officially 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.
MURAKAMI MAGIC: Chloe Murakami received her first All-League First Team honor after becoming one Army's most prolific attackers. She put up career bests in kills (348), solo blocks (3) and block assists (29) while adding 22 service aces and 270 digs. Murakami currently leads the team and is third in the League in kills, second on the team in digs, and first on the team in service aces. Murakami has been crucial for Army's lineup in key moments, delivering kills from both the front row and back row to tally an efficient 13.44 kills per match this season.
MEET THE LYNCH-PIN: Mackenzie Lynch continued her dominance on the outside for Army this season, earning her second-straight First Team honor. She finished 2025 logging career-bests in kills (343), assists (31), aces (16) and digs (322) while adding 302 digs and 64.0 total blocks. Lynch leads the team in digs and holds the most digs in the Patriot League of all non-libero or DS players for the second-straight season. She stands second on the team and fourth in the league in kills, and first on the team in total blocks.
JACK OF ALL TRADES: Juliette Myrick has recorded two triple-doubles over the season and logged 116 kills, 502 assists, 17 aces, 206 digs, two solo blocks, 29 block assists, and 31.0 total blocks. With those numbers, she earned a spot on the All-League Second Team. Myrick currently sits second on the team in assists, is fifth on the team in digs, third on the team in aces, third on the team in kills, and sixth on the team in total blocks. Myrick's totals rank her seventh in the league for total assists and fourth in assists per set (6.28).
RUNNING THE MIDDLE: Three middle blockers have played a key role for the Black Knights this season: Michelle Parker, Breelyn Bender and Corrine Blackburn. Parker leads the Black Knights middle core with 97 kills, 1.47 kills per set, 1.93 points per set and 56.0 total blocks. Breelyn Bender adds 81 kills with her .254 attack percentage and is second on the team with 50.0 blocks. Blackburn, one-time Defensive Player of the Week, rounds out the middles with 43.0 total blocks and a team-high .272 hitting percentage.
SEASON SERIES SWEEPS: At the conclusion of the regular 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.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP: Army finished 6-3 in non-conference play. They finished 2-1 in every tournament they participated in for a second-place finish. Their wins encompass victories over Akron (3-0), Green Bay (3-2), Rider (3-1), Binghamton (3-1), Stony Brook (3-1) and Bryant (3-1). Mackenzie Lynch earned two All-Tournament Team honors, while Annette Lee, Juliette Myrick, Breelyn Bender and Chloe Murakami each earned one.
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 35 in the nation, averaging 16.13 digs per set. The team is also in the top 100 or higher in three other statistical categories, including opponent hitting percentage (47), kills per set (91) and assists per set (106). They are also in the top 20 for team attacks per set (18).
DIG DUG: The Black Knights are one of the top teams in the country in defending their back line. Army currently averages 16.13 digs a set, which sits as the 32nd-best mark in NCAA Div. I, above schools including Texas, Penn State, Louisville, Creighton, Pitt, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Mackenzie Lynch leads Army with 275 digs this season, with Chloe Murakami adding 240 and Annette Lee adding 236. The duo of Army setters, Naomi Chinchar and Juliette Myrick, adding 229 and 206 digs respectively, and Nicole Stroud also adds 100+ digs with 122 overall this season.
History with Lehigh
- The Black Knights lead the series, 50-20
- Current Streak: Lehigh, 1 win
- Last Army win: Sept. 26, 2025, 3-1
- Last Lehigh win: Nov. 7, 2025, 3-0
Scouting the Mountain Hawks
- Lehigh finished the regular season with a 12-13 overall record and a 6-10 record in Patriot League play, just enough to grab the final spot in the Patriot League Tournament field.
- Natalie Luscomb, a Patriot League All-League Second Team member, carried the weight of the offense, registering team-highs 244 kills, 2.74 kills per set and 3.11 points per set.
- Abby Felkai runs the offense, cataloguing 521 assists and 5.79 assists per set. She is also second on the team in serving with 34 aces this season.
- One-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week Sophia Bond defends the back line with 345 digs (3.83 digs a set) with a .963 reception percentage while also having a team-best 40 service aces.
- Madison McCartney guards the net with 114.0 total blocks and averages 1.30 blocks per set.
