Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
0-1,0-0Patriot
NC State
2-0,0-0ACC
Volleyball Falls in Season Opener at NC State
August 29, 2025 | Volleyball
RALEIGH, N.C. — Army West Point Volleyball (0-1) started the 2025 season on the road at the Summit Hospitality Invitational, falling to tournament host, the NC State Wolfpack, 0-3.
The Black Knights went on to fall in three sets 15-25, 16-25 and 18-25.
In the first set, the Wolfpack went on a 6-0 run and a 10-0 run to gain a substantial lead, with Army unable to catch up. The second set was closer, but the Black Knights were outscored 2-7 to end the set to give NC State a 2-0 lead heading into the third set.
Army gained an early 10-6 lead in the third set, led by Mackenzie Lynch and Juliette Myrick. The Wolfpack took back control thanks to a 10-1 in their favor then ended the match on a quick 3-0 swing to give Army their first loss of the season.
Match Recap
Army jumped on the board early as Mackenzie Lynch and Chloe Murakami each landed kills to steady the offense. Sophomore setter Naomi Chinchar distributed the ball well, connecting with Lynch for a pair of kills and finding Juliette Myrick to keep the Black Knights close in the opening points.
Midway through the frame, Army pulled back within 14-9 after a strong block from Tatum Grimes and Victoria Kasanganay, followed by a kill from Grimes to keep momentum alive.
Despite the push, NC State pieced together a scoring run to extend its lead. Grimes added another kill late, but the Wolfpack closed the set 25-15.
The Black Knights came out strong in the second frame, highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Nicole Stroud to take an early 4-3 advantage.
Murakami and Parker each tallied kills to keep Army within striking distance, while Myrick added a service ace to help cut the gap to 13-10.
Lynch and Grimes chipped in with kills to spark the Army attack, but NC State countered with a run of its own to create separation.
Murakami delivered one last kill in the closing points, but the Wolfpack held off the surge to take the second set 25-16.
Army struck first in the third with a kill from Grimes, then surged ahead behind a block from Parker and Lynch and kills from Myrick and Murakami to build a 7-4 lead, the Black Knights' largest advantage of the night.
The front row continued to apply pressure to the home team as Murakami landed another swing and Parker notched a key kill to keep Army even at 10-10.
From there, NC State responded with a decisive 10-1 stretch, but Army fought back behind blocks from Lynch and Parker and a kill from Myrick to trim the deficit to 17-16.
Murakami added one final kill in the late rally, but NC State secured the frame 25-18 to clinch the match.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- The Black Knights recorded 27 kills in the match, with Mackenzie Lynch leading the way at the net with eight kills.
- Juliette Myrick paced the offense with 15 assists while also adding seven kills, one ace and nine digs for an all-around performance.
- Defensively, Army tallied 52 digs in the match, with Chloe Murakami leading the team with 10. Lynch and Naomi Chinchar followed with nine apiece.
- At the net, Michelle Parker anchored the blocking unit with four total blocks while Lynch added two.
- Nicole Stroud provided serving pressure with a team-high two aces, contributing to Army's three overall.
- Errors proved costly for the Black Knights, as they committed 21 attack errors and 10 service errors across the three sets.
- Despite the loss, Army showed balance with six different players registering at least one kill and three players finishing with 5+ kills — Lynch (8), Myrick (7) and Murakami (6).
Coach's Corner
"NC State is a very good team," head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "They are a very good blocking, very good serving team. They caught us off guard a little bit, but we don't shy away from competition. We came here to compete, and we came here to learn.
"Every set we got better, so that was really good," she continued. "We do have some freshmen playing and a sophomore, so I think it's important for us to keep our heads up and learn from this so we can continue to compete and get better.
"I thought our serving and passing could have been better so we could create a stronger offense. It's the basics that we can do a much better job on heading into our next match."
Up Next
Army will continue its appearance at the Summit Hospitality tournament on Saturday, taking on the Akron Zips beginning at noon ET.
Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point women's volleyball, follow the Black Knights on X and Instagram at @ArmyWP_VB and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
