Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
10-8,4-5Patriot
Navy
8-9,6-3Patriot
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army West Point | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 14 | 2 |
| Navy | 19 | 27 | 18 | 26 | 16 | 3 |
Volleyball Falls in Five-Set Thriller on the Road Against Navy
October 17, 2026 | Volleyball
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Army West Point volleyball (10-8, 4-5) battled the Navy Midshipmen (8-9, 6-3) through five sets Saturday afternoon at Wesley A. Brown Field House, ultimately falling to the Midshipmen, 25-19, 25-27, 25-18, 24-26, 14-16, in a closely contested match.
Juliette Myrick led Army with an outstanding all-around performance, recording a team-high 12 kills on a .346 hitting percentage, 31 assists, six digs, one service ace and two block assists. Myrick finished with a team-high 14 points, including five kills on eight attacks in the third set, when she hit .500.
Kealakai Bandy, Michelle Parker and Kennedy Jones each added 11 kills, giving Army four players in double figures. Nicole Stroud anchored the defense with 22 digs, while Bandy collected 13 and Naomi Chinchar added 12.
How It Happened
Army wasted little time building momentum in the opening set, using a strong serving stretch from Myrick to take an early 8-2 lead. Myrick recorded a service ace, while Parker and Jones delivered kills to help the Black Knights take control.
Army continued to apply pressure behind Lightsey, who recorded two kills as the Black Knights extended their lead to 14-8. Myrick and Blackburn combined for a block before Jones added another kill to push the advantage to 17-11.
Navy responded with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to 19-16, but Army answered behind Blackburn and Myrick. Bandy added a kill to extend the lead to 23-17 before Lightsey recorded the final two kills of the set, securing the 25-19 victory.
The Black Knights hit .265 in the opening frame, led by Lightsey's four kills and three apiece from Parker and Jones. Myrick dished out 10 assists and added two kills and a service ace.
The second set featured several momentum swings as Army and Navy traded points throughout the early stages. Blackburn helped lead the Black Knights offensively, recording four kills to keep Army within striking distance.
Navy eventually created separation with an extended run, building an 18-9 advantage. Army responded with a 4-0 stretch behind Blackburn and a block from Deapen and Blackburn to pull within 19-14.
Trailing 24-19, the Black Knights mounted a late rally. Parker recorded a kill before combining with Bandy for a block, and Audrey St. Clair followed with a service ace to cut the deficit to 24-22. Parker added another kill before a Navy attack error tied the set at 24.
Parker answered a Navy point with another kill to tie the frame at 25, but the Midshipmen scored the final two points to claim the 27-25 victory and even the match at one set apiece.
Blackburn paced Army with six kills in the frame, while Parker added four kills and two block assists.
Army responded with a dominant start to the third set, scoring the first six points behind Stroud's serving and consecutive kills from Myrick. Bandy opened the scoring with a kill before Myrick recorded back-to-back finishes to give the Black Knights an early advantage.
The Black Knights maintained control as Myrick continued to provide an offensive spark. She recorded consecutive kills during the middle stages to extend Army's lead to 15-7, while Bandy and Jones helped keep Navy from closing the gap.
Army pushed its advantage to 22-14 behind another Jones kill before Bandy and Myrick delivered consecutive kills to bring the Black Knights to set point. Navy scored twice, but Lightsey closed out the 25-18 victory with a kill, giving Army a 2-1 match lead.
Myrick led the way with five kills on eight attacks and a .500 hitting percentage, while also contributing five assists. Army finished with 15 kills and a .212 hitting percentage, holding Navy to a .029 clip.
Army carried its momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead behind kills from Myrick and Parker and a Stroud service ace. Lightsey and Jones helped extend the advantage to 12-6 before Myrick added two more kills to keep the Black Knights in control.
Bandy and Blackburn contributed kills as Army maintained a 21-17 lead late in the frame. Parker followed with a kill to make it 22-18, but Navy responded with four consecutive points to tie the set at 22.
The Black Knights briefly regained the lead before Navy moved ahead 24-23. Bandy delivered a kill to even the score at 24, but the Midshipmen answered with consecutive kills to take the 26-24 victory and force a fifth set.
Myrick finished the fourth with three kills on six error-free attacks for a .500 hitting percentage, adding five assists as Army recorded 12 kills in the frame.
The decisive fifth set featured nine ties and two lead changes as the teams battled for the Star. Myrick delivered consecutive kills to keep Army even at seven before Navy used a 5-1 stretch to build a 12-8 advantage.
Army refused to go away, answering with a 3-0 run behind a Deapen service ace and a Parker kill to cut the deficit to 12-11. After Navy extended its lead to 13-11, Bandy recorded back-to-back kills to tie the set at 13.
St. Clair then delivered a service ace to give the Black Knights match point at 14-13, forcing a Navy timeout.
The Midshipmen responded with three consecutive kills to secure the 16-14 fifth-set victory and complete the comeback.
Army hit .240 in the final frame, recording nine kills on 25 attacks. Myrick contributed two kills and five assists, while Bandy led the Black Knights with three kills.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Juliette Myrick led Army with 12 kills, 31 assists and 14 points, hitting .346 on 26 attacks while adding six digs, one service ace and two block assists.
- Myrick recorded five kills on eight attacks for a .500 hitting percentage in the third set. She also added three kills without an error in the fourth, hitting .500 for the second consecutive frame.
- Kealakai Bandy finished with 11 kills and 13 digs, recording a double-double while hitting .226 and adding a block assist.
- Michelle Parker recorded 11 kills and three block assists, finishing with 12.5 points. She helped fuel Army's second-set comeback with three late kills.
- Kennedy Jones added 11 kills and two block assists, finishing with 12 points. She hit .500 in the fifth set with two kills on four attacks.
- Nicole Stroud led Army defensively with 22 digs, adding three assists and two service aces.
- Naomi Chinchar contributed 23 assists and 12 digs, along with a service ace.
- Corrine Blackburn finished with eight kills and four block assists, totaling 10 points. She recorded six kills in the second set to help spark Army's comeback.
- Audrey St. Clair delivered three service aces, including the ace that gave Army match point at 14-13 in the fifth set.
- Marlee Lightsey recorded eight kills and 10 digs, while Janie Deapen added three kills, six digs and a service ace.
- Army finished with 64 kills, 60 assists, 78 digs, eight service aces and seven total blocks, hitting .173 for the match.
- The Black Knights held Navy to a .140 hitting percentage and outpaced the Midshipmen in kills (64-51), digs (78-71) and service aces (8-7).
- Navy recorded 14 total blocks compared with Army's seven. Paige Buzzerio led the Midshipmen with 17 kills, while Farrah Eike added 13 kills.
- The fifth set featured nine ties and two lead changes, with Army holding match point at 14-13 before Navy scored the final three points.
Coach's Corner
"We fought hard, that is for sure," said head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "But our inexperience continues to show up in critical moments. We had plenty of leads and opportunities to close out sets, but their experience made the difference. We struggled to maintain the patience and composure needed to finish. When they needed a point, they turned to their experienced, heavy hitters, and they delivered."
"I am confident that we will learn and grow from this. The fight is there, that is for sure. Now we have to learn how to turn those opportunities into wins."
Up Next
The Black Knights continue their road trip to the DMV next week, first heading to the nation's capital to take on the defending Patriot League champions, the American University Eagles.
Army fell to the Eagles inside Gillis Field House, 0-3 on September 19. The Black Knights will aim for their first win against the Eagles since November 4, 2023, when they defeated the Eagles on the road in five sets.
The game in the Meltzer Center in Washington, D.C., is set to begin on Friday, October 23 at 6 p.m. ET. For fans who cannot make it, the game will 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, online at www.goarmywestpoint.com and turn on notifications for volleyball in the Army Athletics app.
Army West Point Athletic Association, Inc. (AWPAA)
AWPAA is an IRS code 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to execute the United States Military Academy's intercollegiate athletics program. AWPAA is led by a board of directors that provides guidance to the director of athletics, who serves as the primary advisor to the USMA Superintendent and the USMA leadership on all NCAA operations. The AWPAA mission is to recruit, educate, train and inspire leaders of character who are committed to the Army values through an extraordinary Division I athletic experience.
