Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Colgate
Volleyball Heads to Nation's Capitol for Semifinal Matchup Against No. 2 Colgate
November 20, 2025 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (18-8, 11-5) heads to the Nation's Capitol on Friday, November 21, to continue its postseason run, taking on the No. 2 seed, Colgate University Raiders (18-9, 13-3), in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament.
A rematch of the 2024 Patriot League Championship Game, the two teams split the season series, both winning on their home courts. Colgate earned a 3-0 win on Cotterell Court on Oct. 4, while Army earned a 3-2 win inside Gillis Field House on Oct. 25.
The match will be held inside Bender Arena on the campus of American University on Nov. 21, with the game scheduled for a 3 p.m. ET first serve.
For fans who cannot make it to the game inside Bender Arena, the match will stream live on ESPN+.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED LAST MATCH: The Black Knights started the postseason with a bang, earning a sweep over the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks, 3-0. With the win, the Black Knights reach the semifinal round of the Patriot League tournament for the fourth consecutive season and will aim to make a championship appearance for the second-straight year.
MURAKAMI MAGIC: Chloe Murakami received her first All-League First Team honor after becoming one of Army's most prolific attackers. During the regular season, she put up career bests in kills (348), solo blocks (3) and block assists (29) while adding 22 service aces and 270 digs. Murakami led the team and finished 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 the 2025 regular season 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 regular 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 led the Black Knights middle core in the regular season 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, rounded 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 held some of the best numbers in NCAA Division I in several statistical categories. Army's defense ranked in the top 35 in the nation at the end of the regular season, 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 finished the regular season as one of the top teams in the country in defending their back line. Army averaged 16.13 digs a set, which sat as the 32nd-best mark in NCAA Div. I, above schools including Texas, Penn State, Louisville, Creighton, Pitt, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Mackenzie Lynch led Army during the regular season with 275 digs, 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 Colgate
- The Black Knights lead the series, 46-43
- Current Streak: Army, 1 win
- Last Army win: Oct. 25, 2025, 3-2
- Last Colgate win: Oct. 4, 2025, 3-0
Scouting the Raiders
- Colgate concluded the regular season with an 18-9 overall record and a 13-3 record in Patriot League play, only seeing losses to American, Army and Bucknell during league play.
- Head coach Ryan Baker is in his 20th season in Hamilton and currently holds a 23-23 record when playing Army throughout his career.
- Patriot League All-League First Team member Milan Bayless leads the team with 415 kills, 3.95 kills per set, 478.0 points and 4.55 points per set. She is also fourth on the team with 20 aces and is third with 75 blocks.
- Tiana Owens captured her first First-Team selection this season. The sophomore recorded 284 kills, ranking her seventh in the league, and collected 315.5 points. Owens averages 3.12 kills and 3.47 points per set. On the defensive end, Owens posted 130 digs and added 24 total blocks.
- Maddie Rudolph has been a defensive staple for the Raiders at the net. She leads both the team and conference with 124 total blocks. The senior has totaled 16 solo blocks and 108 block assists, averaging 1.20 blocks per set. She leads the team with 23 service aces and added 155 kills. The middle blocker averages 2.41 points per set, the third-highest mark on the team.
