Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Bucknell
Volleyball Prepares for Week Three of Patriot League Action
October 02, 2026 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (9-4, 3-1) begins week three of Patriot League play on Friday, first heading to Lewisburg, Pa., to take on the Bucknell University Bison (5-8, 1-3), before heading home to Gillis Field House to host the Lafayette College Leopards (6-8, 0-4).
First, the Black Knights will play in Davis Gymnasium on Friday, October 2 at 6 p.m. ET, taking on the Bison for the first time this season. The two teams spilt the regular season series last year, with both teams earning sweeps on each respective home courts.
Then, Army will return to Gillis Field House to close the weekend on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. ET to host Lafayette. Last season, the Black Knights swept the Leopards, and have won eight consecutive against Lafayette.
Fans who cannot make it to Davis Gymnasium in Lewisburg, Pa., or to Gillis Field House, can stream both games live on ESPN+.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Army finished 2-0 in their second week of Patriot League play, first sweeping the Colgate Raiders inside Gillis Field House, then earning their first road win of Patriot League play, defeating Holy Cross, 3-1. Marlee Lightsey finished with a team-high 28 kills (4.00 k/s) plus team-best three aces, plus two blocks to finish with a team-high 32.0 points (4.57 p/s). Nicole Stroud led the Army defense, finishing with a team-high 38 digs (5.43 d/s) while adding a .957 reception percentage on 46 attempts. She earned a season-high 27 digs at Holy Cross.
ACE ACE BABY: The Black Knights continue to prove to be one of the premier serving teams in the country. Army currently sits 17th in all of Division I volleyball in aces per set, with the team averaging 2.07 per set. It's also the best mark in the Patriot League. UNC-Asheville leads the country, averaging 2.78 per set. Naomi Chinchar and Juliette Myrick lead the Black Knights with 18 so far this season, with Janie Deapen and Marlee Lightsey adding 14 and Nicole Stroud adding nine.
SETTING THE STANDARD: Army holds some of the best numbers in NCAA Division I in several statistical categories. The Black Knights are one of the best serving teams as well as passing teams in the country, currently ranked 17th in aces per set at 2.07. Army's defense is currently 13th in the nation, averaging 16.46 digs per set. The team is also in the top 50 or higher in two other statistical categories, including assists per set (39) and kills per set (50).
LIGHT 'EM LIGHTSEY: This week's Rookie of the Week earns the honor for the fourth straight week. With the honor, Lightsey ties the Army Volleyball record for most consecutive Rookie of the Week honors at four. She now shares the record with Olivia Fairfield, who won the award four consecutive weeks in October 2013, and Abby Casciato, who won it four weeks in a row in 2002. Lightsey now holds the second-longest streak in Patriot League history of earning the honor, with the longest streak belonging to American's Rebecca Heath, who earned the honor five times in a row in 2008.
JACK OF ALL TRADES: Juliette Myrick continues to serve as the central piece to Army's offense this season. She directs the offense with a team-best 299 assists (6.50 per set) while also adding 18 service aces, the best mark on the team and third in the Patriot League. The lone senior was named the UTA Tournament MVP plus was named to the Black Knight Invitational All-Tournament Team. She is also approaching some major accolades, sitting three blocks from reaching 100 career blocks, 281 assists away from reaching 2,000 career assists, and 91 kills away from reaching 500 career kills.
HOLDING DOWN THE BACK LINE: Nicole Stroud has served as Army's primary libero this season, setting the tone for Army's defense this season, who leads the Patriot League and sits 13th in the country in digs per set (16.46). The junior has 168 digs this season and averages 4.00 per set, numbers good for sixth in the Patriot League. Last week she finished with a team-high 38 digs (5.43 d/s) while adding a .957 reception percentage on 46 attempts. She earned a season-high 27 digs at Holy Cross.
KEEPING UP WITH JONES: Sophomore Kennedy Jones proved to be one of the offensive standouts for the Black Knights through this season. She leads the team with 125 kills (2.78 per set) while posting a .241 hitting percentage, while also adding a team-best 24 blocks. Her standout performance so far this season came against UAlbany, where she tallied 18 kills on a match-best .452 hitting percentage. Jones also contributed five blocks and finished with a career-high 20.5 points. She also had 13 kills on a .600 hitting percentage in Army's win over Liberty.
History with Bucknell
- The Black Knights lead the series, 49-17
- Current Streak: Bucknell, 1 win
- Last Army win: Oct. 10, 2025, 3-0
- Last Bucknell win: Nov. 15, 2025, 3-0
History with Lafayette
- The Black Knights lead the series, 65-5
- Current Streak: Army, 8 wins
- Last Army win: Nov. 8, 2025, 3-2
- Last Lafayette win: March 12, 2021, 3-1
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.
