Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
1-1,0-0Patriot
Akron
1-2,0-0MAC
Volleyball Sweeps Akron for First Win in 2025 Season
August 30, 2025 | Volleyball
RALEIGH, N.C. — Army West Point Volleyball (1-1) gained its first win of the 2025 season on Saturday, sweeping the University of Akron Zips (1-2), 3-0.
The Black Knights defeated the Zips in three tightly contested sets, 25-20, 30-28 and 25-22.
Army shook off an early Akron surge in the opening frame, responding with a 7-1 run and kept the Zips out of reach to take the set one win.
The second set proved to be the most dramatic, with both sides trading points deep into extra play. Army battled through multiple set points and ultimately prevailed, gaining a 30-28 set two win.
Finally in the third set, Army carried their momentum, building a cushion behind steady offense. A mid-set push from Akron closed the gap, but the Black Knights were able to hold Akron off to clinch the 25-22 third set and match win.
Match Recap
Akron struck first with a string of points, including back-to-back service aces, to jump out to a 4–0 lead in the first set.
The Black Knights quickly regrouped, pulling even behind kills from Mackenzie Lynch and Michelle Parker before setter Juliette Myrick steadied the attack.
With Army trailing 12–8, Tatum Grimes and Lynch sparked an eight-point run capped by back-to-back aces from Myrick to flip momentum.
Murakami added a pair of swings on the outside, and Parker notched a late kill to keep the Zips at bay as Army closed the frame 25–20.
The second set turned into a marathon battle, featuring 16 ties and six lead changes.
Lynch and Murakami traded kills with Akron to keep Army within striking distance, while Naomi Chinchar set up Parker for a key kill that kept the score level at 20–20.
Annette Lee and Kennedy Jones chipped in with digs and timely swings to keep rallies alive, while Grimes and Bender combined for a pivotal block at 28–28 to stall Akron's push.
Myrick then delivered a clutch service ace, and Lynch hammered home the deciding point to seal the extended set, 30–28.
Riding the energy from the extra-point win, Army jumped ahead behind kills from Murakami, Lynch, and Grimes to take control at 19–16. Akron attempted to rally, closing within one, but the Black Knights' defense stiffened.
Parker and Grimes recorded crucial blocks to halt the comeback effort, and Jones added another key swing at the net. With the match on the line, Lynch delivered the final kill of the match while Army then forced Akron into an attack error, closing out the sweep 25–22.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Mackenzie Lynch powered the Black Knights with a match-high 18 kills on 41 swings (.268), while Chloe Murakami followed with 14 kills at a .242 clip. Together, the duo combined for over 60% of Army's offense.
- Tatum Grimes added eight kills and three blocks, while Michelle Parker hit efficiently with six kills on 11 attempts (.455). Kennedy Jones provided an extra spark, contributing three kills and one block off the bench.
- Juliette Myrick directed the offense with 24 assists and a pair of aces, while Naomi Chinchar dished out 17 assists and matched her with 2 service aces.
- Annette Lee anchored the back row, recording a team-high 18 digs to go with three service aces, while Murakami (eight digs), Chinchar (10 digs), and Lynch (nine digs) helped Army out-dig Akron 58–46.
- Army served tough, finishing with seven aces (led by Lee's 3) against only five errors. At the net, the Black Knights tallied eight total blocks, led by Grimes (3), Bender (3), and Jones (1).
- After a slow start (.086 hitting in set one), Army surged to .220 in set two and closed the match at .297 in set three, finishing the sweep with a match percentage of .206.
Coach's Corner
"I'm very proud of our team's performance today," said head coach Alma Kovaci Lee. "We had a lot of grit in this game. We beat a great Akron team, and it's really awesome to be in this environment and play teams that we don't usually play, because that's where we learn."
"Akron had a really great signature offense," Kovaci Lee continued, "which was a really fast to the pins, and it took us a little bit of time to adjust, and it's good for us to continue to see play that's different than ours and adjust to that. It's going to serve us well in the future."
"I hope that we build on this and continue to grow and hopefully continue to try and play some new players so we get some experience. Our core with our outsides and our setters is very good, I think. And that has done a great job this tournament. I have a lot of confidence in our team, and our goal is to continue to grow."
Up Next
Army will play its final game in the Summit Hospitality Invitational on Sunday, meeting up against Green Bay for the first time in program history 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.
