Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
2-1,0-0Patriot
Green Bay
0-3,0-0Horizon
Volleyball Outlasts Green Bay to Clinch Second at Summit Hospitality Invitational
August 31, 2025 | Volleyball
RALEIGH, N.C. — Army West Point Volleyball (2-1) finished out the Summit Hospitality Tournament with a win, defeating the Green Bay Phoenix (0-3), 3-2, in a five-set thriller.
The Black Knights claimed the first two sets 25-18 and 25-20, then the Phoenix took the third and fourth sets 26-24 and 25-22. Ultimately, Army persevered and claimed the fifth set, 15-12.
With the win, the Black Knights finished 2-1 in the Summit Hospitality Tournament, good for a second-place finish. Alongside the second-place finish, Annette Lee and Mackenzie Lynch were also named to the Summit Hospitality All-Tournament Team.
Match Recap
Army raced to a fast start in the first set behind Chloe Murakami's service pressure, which included an ace and forced two Green Bay miscues to spark a 5-2 edge.
Mackenzie Lynch and Tatum Grimes added kills to extend the lead, while Victoria Kasanganay's block assist with Grimes helped Army reach 8-4.
Later in the frame, Michelle Parker delivered an ace, and Myrick spread the attack to Murakami and Lynch for back-to-back kills. Army closed on a 5-2 run, with Lynch's fourth kill sealing a 25–18 opening set.
The second set featured tighter back-and-forth exchanges. Parker's early ace and a kill from Lynch kept Army even at 3-3, before Naomi Chinchar's service error gave Green Bay a small window.
Later, Murakami landed consecutive kills, and Grimes blocked down an attack with Parker to push Army to 23–20. Murakami closed the set emphatically with a kill followed by a block assist with Grimes for a 25–20 finish.
Green Bay came alive in the third set, using three early kills to edge ahead. Army clawed back behind Grimes and Murakami, who combined for five kills to level the score at 9-9.
Army surged ahead on Murakami's ace and Lynch's kill, but miscues stalled momentum. The Black Knights staved off two Green Bay set points, tying it at 24-24, before an ace and a kill pushed Green Bay over the top 26-24.
Errors hurt Army early in the fourth set, with service miscues allowing Green Bay to gain rhythm.
Kennedy Jones made an impact with a kill at 19-18 and a block with Parker at 20–18, but Green Bay's serving changed the match.
The Phoenix ripped off three aces late to flip the set and pull the match even, 25-22.
The deciding fifth set was a roller coaster. Army jumped in front 2-1 after Grimes converted from Lee's set, then Lynch hammered two kills, helping make it a 6-5 game.
The momentum shifted back in Green Bay's favor, with the Phoenix eventually taking a 12-9 lead. The Black Knights then took over the set with a 6-0 surge that flipped a 12–9 deficit into a 15-12 match-clinching win.
Lynch, Murakami, Parker and Grimes combined for four kills in the frame, with Annette Lee steadying the back row at crunch time. Grimes and Bender then added a block that finished off Green Bay and earned Army the win.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Mackenzie Lynch finished with a match-high 20 kills (.250), six digs, four blocks, and 22.0 total points.
- Chloe Murakami finished right behind Lynch with 18 kills, alongside three aces and nine digs, finishing with 21.5 points.
- Michelle Parker and Tatum Grimes anchored the net, with Parker adding six kills, six blocks and an ace and Grimes adding eight kills and eight blocks.
- Juliette Myrick dished 37 assists, with 11 digs, two blocks, and two kills.
- Naomi Chinchar balanced the offense with 12 assists, 11 digs, and two aces.
- Annette Lee led the back row with a match-best 27 digs.
- Kennedy Jones contributed with one kill and two blocks, including a clutch late stuff in set four.
- Breelyn Bender came off the bench in set five to provide the spark, with a kill and two blocks to help take the match.
- Army out-blocked Green Bay 15–9 and out-dug them 78–67, plus finished hitting .172 as a team while holding Green Bay to .098 at the net.
Coach's Corner
"I'm just very proud of our fight and our grit," head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "This weekend we played some really good teams. That was the goal: to come here and get a good challenge, and we did."
"The match today was pure heart, pure grit and pure passion, Kovaci Lee continued. "All the credit to Green Bay, they are a great team that took both NC State and Akron to five sets in tournament play thos weekend. They had some great outside hitters and their middles worked really well.
"I'm proud of us coming in, going after them and then after we gained and lost momentum, we were able to come back. The really cool part was also seeing the freshmen come in and be big in big moments, and us ultimately winning those big moments. Overall, it was a great weekend. We have a lot more to work on, but it was a great weekend."
Up Next
Army returns to West Point and Gillis Field House to host the annual Black Knight Invitational, this year including Hofstra, Rider and Binghamton.
The tournament will begin on Friday, with the Black Knights ending the day playing Hofstra at 7 p.m. ET, with the game also streaming live on ESPN+.
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.
