Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Navy
Volleyball Begins Patriot League Play at Navy, American
September 18, 2025 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (6-3) begins Patriot League play on the road on Friday and Saturday, taking on the Navy Midshipmen (4-5) and the American University Eagles (7-3).
First, Army heads to Annapolis, Md., for a match against its biggest rival, Navy, on Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. ET at Wesley Brown Fieldhouse.
Alongside the match beginning league play, it'll also serve as the annual Star Match in part of the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA.
Then the Black Knights remain on the road, heading 43 miles west to Washington D.C. for a Saturday, Sept. 20 matchup with American, with the match slated to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
For fans who can't make it to either game, both matches will stream live on ESPN+.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEKEND: The Black Knights finished their final non-conference weekend 2-1, making an appearance at the Bryant Invitational. The finish was good for Army's third second-place finish in tournament play this season. Mackenzie Lynch and Chloe Murakami led Army offensive with 38 and 36 kills on the weekend, respectively, earning them both All-Tournament Team nods.
STAR MATCH SHOWDOWN: The Black Knights and Midshipmen will renew their rivalry on Sept. 19th for the 44th annual Star Match as part of the Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA. Last season, Army welcomed foe Navy to Gillis Field House in late September for the 43rd annual Star Match. Army claimed the first two sets before Navy got a foothold and tied things up in the third and fourth sets. The tumultuous fifth set saw Army press its home court advantage as time wore on, with every Black Knight on the floor participating to claim the win.
LYNCH LEADING THE WAY: Senior outside hitter Mackenzie Lynch served as the primary driving force of not only Army's attack, but also in all aspects on the floor. The senior finished with 10+ kills in eight of Army's nine games, including a season high 20 kills against Green Bay. Currently, she leads the team in kills (115), kills per set (3.59), points (131.0) and points per set (4.09). She also added 98 digs, 17 blocks and seven service aces.
MURAKAMI MAGIC: Senior outside hitter Chloe Murakami serves as the other key outside in Army's offense this season. Murakami currently is second on the team with 99 kills and 3.19 kills per set. She leads the team with nine service aces and also adds 73 digs, good for fourth on the team. At the net, Murakami holds a .184 hitting percentage and has nine blocks.
OFFENSIVE-MINDED: Junior Juliette Myrick serves as the primary playmaker for Army. She leads the team in assists, with 225 so far this season, and averages 7.03 per set. In six of the last seven games, Myrick finished with 30+ assists. On Sept. 7 against Binghamton, she surpassed the 1,000 all-time career assists mark and earned her first triple-double season with 33 assists, 12 kills and 11 digs. She also had a season-high 38 assists against Bryant on Saturday.
BENDING TO HER WILL: Breelyn Bender has quickly emerged as Army's biggest threat in the middle. The sophomore middle blocker currently leads the team with a .333 hitting percentage, 29 blocks and 1.07 blocks per set. She had a career game against Rider on Sept. 6 with 13 kills while hitting .600, while also having a season-high seven blocks against Hofstra.
HOLDING THE BACK LINE: The Black Knights are one of the top teams in the country in defending their back line. Army currently averages 16.03 digs a set, which sits as the 28th-best mark in NCAA Div. I, above schools including Texas, TCU, Creighton, Pitt, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Annette Lee and Mackenzie Lynch lead the passing efforts, with the two having 141 digs (4.03 per set) and 104 digs (2.89 per set), respectively. Three other Black Knights have over 75 digs in the first nine games, including Myrick (85), Murakami (83) and Naomi Chinchar (79).
SETTING THE STANDARD: Army holds some of the best numbers in NCAA Division I in several statistical categories. Army's defense is ranked in the top 30 in the nation, averaging 16.03 digs per set, and in the top 100 in the country with 2.26 blocks per set. The team is also in the top 100 in three other statistical categories, including opponent hitting percentage (81), kills per set (85) and assists per set (89).
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).
History with Navy
- The Black Knights lead the series, 55-21
- Current Streak: Army, 2 wins
- Last Army win: Oct. 26, 2024, 3-0
- Last Navy win: Nov. 11, 2023, 3-2
Scouting the Midshipmen
- Navy finished its non-conference slate 4-5, earning wins over Utah Valley, Montana, Le Moyne and Hampton, good for fifth in the Patriot League standings.
- Paco Labrador is in his eighth season in Annapolis, holding a 102-80 record while at Navy and a 6-8 record over Army throughout his tenure.
- One-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week Ellen Gundlach leads the Midshipmen with 72 kills, while Ava Toppin has a team-best 95.5 points with a team high 37 blocks and 68 kills.
- Arleigh Hanson directs Navy's offense with team bests in assists (209) and assists per set (6.97).
- Amara Chambers leads the efforts on the backline with 91 digs while also holding a team-best 11 service aces.
History with American
- The Eagles lead the series, 46-13
- Current Streak: American, 3 wins
- Last Army win: Nov. 4, 2023, 3-2
- Last American win: Oct. 19, 2024, 3-1
Scouting the Eagles
- American sits on top of the league standings after non-conference play with a 7-3 record, recording wins over George Mason, Georgetown, George Washington, UMES, Cleveland State, Hampton and North Carolina A&T.
- American and Army shared one opponent in Akron, with the Black Knights sweeping the Zips on Aug. 30 while American fell to the Zips in five sets.
- Ahen Kim is in his third season in Washington, D.C., holding a 47-23 record during his tenure.
- Two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week Sophie Dufour leads American with 137 kills and 3.91 kills per set. She also holds a team-high 148 points and 4.23 points per set.
- Deniz Dakak conducts the offense with a team-high 347 assists and 9.91 assists per set. Meanwhile, Ales Ioannou leads the team with 30 aces.
- Bella Marrero leads the Eagles' passing with 155 digs and 4.43 digs per set. Prinzez Zeck controls the net with 33 blocks in 2025.
