Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
6-3,0-0Patriot
Bryant
3-6,0-0America East
Volleyball Finishes Second in Bryant Invitational, Defeating Bulldogs in Four Sets
September 13, 2025 | Volleyball
SMITHFIELD R.I. — Army West Point volleyball (6-3) clinched second place at the Bryant Invitational, taking down the Bryant University Bulldogs (3-6), 3-1.
The Bulldogs came out swinging in the first set, causing Army to suffer an 18-25 loss and fall behind early in the match.
But that set was the last loss Army saw on the day, with Army taking over, winning in three straight sets, 25-17, 25-21 and 25-20.
Match Recap
The first set started with Bryant coming out swinging, with the Bulldogs taking an early 6-2 lead. Army was able to cut it to an 8-10 deficit.
Then the Bulldogs went on their biggest scoring run of the set, outscoring Army 8-1 to take a commanding 18-9 lead. Marin Harvey had Army's lone kill in the run.
The Black Knights were able to cut into the lead with a 4-0 run, with Michelle Parker adding two kills with Harvey and Juliette Myrick each adding one.
Chloe Murakami closed the set, adding three kills, but the deficit proved to be too large as Army fell in the first set 18-25.
In the second set, Army took an early 6-3 lead, with Myrick adding an ace and Murakami adding a kill.
Then the home team went on their first run in the second set, going on a quick 6-1 run to take a 9-7 lead.
The Black Knights quickly retook the lead at 13-9, courtesy of three kills from Mackenzie Lynch and two blocks featuring Michelle Parker, who also chipped in a kill in the run.
Midway through the set, the Black Knights and Bulldogs exchanged points, with Army holding a small 19-17 lead.
Army stepped on the gas to end the set, going on a 6-0 run to close out the second set, giving Army the 25-17 win. Lynch led the way with two kills, while Parker and Myrick each added one.
The Black Knights carried their momentum into the third set, opening with a 5-1 run with Lynch and Harvey both scoring points for Army.
Bryant overcame the deficit with a 4-1 run, with Army then outscoring them 5-2 to take a 14-10 lead. During that span, Parker and Lynch teamed up for a block and Breelyn Bender added a kill.
The Bulldogs came storming back with a 5-0 run, retaking the lead at 15-14, but the lead did not last long. Army scored six points to Bryant's two, with Corrine Blackburn and Murakami each adding a kill and Bender adding a solo block and kill.
Bryant was able to make it a 21-20 game late, but a 4-1 run, a Harvey kill and Annette Lee's service ace ended the set at 25-21 to give Army a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set was tight within the first 11 points with Bryant holding a slight 6-5 edge. Army took control with a 5-1 run, with Myrick earning two kills and Blackburn earning one kill to take an 11-6 lead.
Army would keep a four-to-five-point lead throughout the remainder of the set, keeping Bryant at bay for the rest of the set.
Lynch would go on to add four more kills in the fourth set, Bender would add two, while Harvey, Murakami and Myrick would each add one. Lynch sealed the match with a kill from Myrick, giving Army its 3-1 match win and its first true road win of the season.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Mackenzie Lynch had 12 kills, two assists, six digs and three block assists for 13.5 points.
- Chloe Murakami added 10 kills, one assist and 10 digs for 10 points.
- Juliette Myrick posted nine kills on a .471 hitting percentage, 38 assists, two aces and 11 digs for 11 points.
- Breelyn Bender had six kills, two assists, one solo block and two block assists for 8 points.
- Marin Harvey finished with seven kills, two block assists and three digs for 8 points.
- Annette Lee tallied three assists, three aces and a team-high 13 digs.
- Michelle Parker hit .545 with seven kills, one solo block and three block assists for 9.5 points.
Coach's Corner
"It was a good game because we also got to play some freshmen," head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said, "and I thought that was pretty good getting some experience there. I thought it was very important to have Marin and Corinne play a lot today; it'll be good in the long run."
"I want to continue to say how awesome our benches are because today we had some girls out with injury," Kovaci Lee continued. "So Marin came in and was the next one up. And then that's the mentality that we have, it's the next one up. I'm very proud of our depth, and I'm very proud of our bench keeping the energy all the time."\
"Bryant only had one game yesterday, so they were prepared for us. It's their home gym, so they had fans as well. But I'm very proud of us coming back. That toughness and resilience were evident, and we stayed true to who we are. We adjusted a few things and the team came back strong."
"Most of the time, when we were in timeouts, the coaches did not take control; it was really the team talking to each other. That's really what you want in tough situations. You want your leaders, you want your team to get together. I thought they did a good job with that and led themselves well today."
Up Next
The Black Knights begin their quest for a Patriot League title on Friday, Sept. 19 on the first day of Patriot League play. To start, Army heads to Annapolis. Md., to take on the Navy Midshipmen.
The match is also tabbed as the annual Star Match presented by USAA, and will also mark the start of the 2025-26 Star Series between the two rival military academies.
For fans who can't make it to Annapolis, the match will also stream 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.
