Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
9-4,3-1Patriot
Lafayette
3-11,1-3Patriot
Volleyball Sweeps Lafayette to Finish Weekend Home Stand 2-0
September 27, 2025 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (9-4, 3-1) finished its weekend home stand 2-0, sweeping the Lafayette College Leopards (3-11, 1-3) on Saturday, 3-0.
The Black Knights gain their second match sweep of the season with the win, the first sweep during Patriot League play
Army won in straight sets 25-20, 25-18 and 25-19.
Match Recap
Army had to weather some early miscues in set one, as Lafayette took advantage of a few Black Knight attack errors to build a slim lead.
But Army settled in once Juliette Myrick delivered a service ace and followed with a kill to energize the team. Victoria Kasanganay's power in the middle forced Lafayette into defensive errors.
Naomi Chinchar's setting spread the offense effectively, and Kealakai Bandy contributed a momentum-shifting kill midway through the frame.
Lafayette stayed close, but Army tightened its play in the closing points. Chloe Murakami hammered a key kill on the outside, and Mackenzie Lynch scored late to push Army to set point.
Murakami capped the set at 25–20 with another clean finish, giving the Black Knights the early lead.
The second set showed Army's balance and depth. Lynch opened scoring with a kill, and Kasanganay followed with a sharp swing down the line to keep Army ahead. Chinchar's steady distribution kept Lafayette guessing, as she set up both Murakami on the outside and Michelle Parker in the middle for quick strikes.
Marin Harvey made her presence felt with a kill and a stuff block, sparking Army's bench. Lafayette attempted to rally, but Army answered each run with disciplined defense and efficient side-outs. Ashli Alcala-Romero gave the Black Knights a cushion with a service ace, pushing the score to 24–18.
On the very next rally, Lynch delivered again with a thunderous kill set up by Annette Lee, closing the set 25–18 and giving Army full control of the match.
Lafayette came out determined to extend the match, grabbing an early 4–1 lead off service pressure.
Army responded quickly. Murakami drilled a kill from the left side, and Kasanganay powered one through the block to tie things up.
The Black Knights' block then took over, as Lynch and Harvey forced Lafayette into multiple attack errors. Chinchar stayed composed, racking up assists on back-to-back kills from Murakami.
Nathalie Tulumaris added a service ace midway through the set, swinging momentum squarely back to Army. Despite Lafayette cutting the gap to within two points late, Murakami and Kasanganay slammed the door with clutch kills. At match point, Chinchar set Lynch for a decisive kill, finishing the sweep with a 25–19 victory.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Naomi Chinchar had a career afternoon, leading the Black Knights' offense with a career-high 30 assists alongside two kills and one block.
- Chloe Murakami led all of Army's hitters with 15 kills while hitting .229 and adding nine digs.
- Mackenzie Lynch tallied another double-double to her resume with 11 kills and 10 digs. She also added two blocks.
- Senior Ashli Alcala-Romero also had a career day defensively, finishing with a career-best 15 digs, anchoring Army's back line.
- Michelle Parker led Army's block at the net, finishing the day with a team-high three blocks. Chinchar, Victoria Kasanganay and Marin Harvey each added a block as well.
- Alcala-Romero, Myrick, Nicole Stroud and Nathalie Tulumaris each added one ace for the Black Knights.
- The Black Knights outhit the Leopards, 49 kills to 27 kills, and also had a .203 hitting percentage to Lafayette's .140 hitting percentage.
- Army also held advantages in the service game (four aces to three aces) and passing game (55 digs to 48 digs).
Coach's Corner
"There were a lot of curveballs and unexpected things that happened today," head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "We had so many people step up and fill roles that may not have been expected, and excelled. I think that's where it's awesome, is it takes a whole team to succeed."
"When all the adversity hit, Naomi came in and stepped up in playing all the way around," Kovaci Lee continued. "She did an incredible job with that. So many key players also came in there and battled today. Ashli came in and played lights-out defense on the right back, which allowed us to create more opportunities to swing."
"With all the adversity we faced this week, it showed how our girls are tough people. They have tenacity. They have grit. And, those are qualities of warriors."
Up Next
The Black Knights return to the road to start the month of October, heading to Worcester, Mass., and Hamilton, New York for matches against the Holy Cross Crusaders and the Colgate Raiders.
First, Army will take on Holy Cross on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. ET, then will head to upstate New York to take on the reigning Patriot League champions, Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. ET.
Both matches 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
