Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
10-6,4-3Patriot
Navy
7-8,5-2Patriot
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy | 13 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 3 |
| Army West Point | 25 | 24 | 18 | 24 | 1 |
Volleyball Falls To Navy in Four Sets to Star Match
October 09, 2026 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (10-6, 4-3) fell to Navy (7-8, 5-2) in four sets, 25-13, 24-26, 18-25, 24-26, in the annual Star Match on Friday night at Gillis Field House.
The Black Knights opened the rivalry matchup with a dominant first-set victory, hitting .353 and holding the Midshipmen to a .054 clip. Navy responded by winning a tightly contested second set before taking the third and holding off a late Army effort in the fourth to secure the victory.
Army finished with 53 kills, 80 digs, nine service aces and eight total blocks while hitting .191 for the match. Navy countered with 50 kills, 71 digs and seven blocks, hitting .188 in the four-set contest.
Kennedy Jones led the Black Knights with 11 kills and four block assists, while Juliette Myrick recorded 10 kills, 26 assists and 11 digs for a double-double. Breelyn Bender added eight kills and four block assists, while Kealakai Bandy contributed seven kills on a .318 hitting percentage, 10 digs and two service aces. Nicole Stroud anchored the back row with a team-high 22 digs.
How It Happened
Army came out strong in the opening set, trading points with Navy before establishing an early advantage. With the frame tied at five, Bender and Bandy combined for a block before Audrey St. Clair delivered consecutive service aces to give the Black Knights an 8-5 lead and force a Navy timeout.
The Black Knights continued to build momentum behind Bandy, who recorded two early kills, while Jones and Marlee Lightsey helped stretch the advantage to 15-10. Army then created further separation with a 5-1 run, highlighted by kills from Myrick and Bandy, to take a commanding 21-12 lead.
Bender delivered another kill before Jones and Bender combined for a block to bring Army to set point. Myrick followed with a service ace to secure the 25-13 opening-set victory. Army finished the frame with 14 kills on a .353 hitting percentage while limiting Navy to nine kills and a .054 clip.
Navy responded in the second set, jumping out to a 9-4 lead behind its offense and service pressure. Army worked its way back behind kills from Jones, Lightsey and Myrick, eventually cutting the deficit to 15-12.
The Black Knights continued their comeback, with Lightsey and Myrick helping Army pull within one at 15-14. A Parker-Myrick block tied the frame at 16 before Parker added a kill to even the score again at 17. Navy regained a narrow advantage, but Army continued to battle at the net, with Jones combining with Bender and Parker for blocks to tie the set at 21.
The Midshipmen moved ahead 24-21, but Army refused to go away. Lightsey delivered consecutive kills after a Navy attack error to tie the set at 24-24, forcing another Navy timeout. Navy answered with back-to-back kills from Caroline Buffum to take the frame, 26-24, and even the match at one set apiece.
Army struggled to find its offensive rhythm early in the third set as Navy opened with a 5-2 advantage before extending its lead to 13-3. Myrick stopped the run with a kill, but the Midshipmen maintained control through the middle stages.
The Black Knights showed signs of life behind Deapen, who sparked a 4-0 run from the service line. A Jones-Bender block and a Deapen service ace helped Army cut the deficit to 15-10. Jones later added multiple kills, while Deapen recorded another ace as Army continued to compete.
Navy maintained its advantage, however, closing out the 25-18 victory to take a 2-1 match lead. Jones led Army with four kills in the frame, but the Black Knights were limited to a .025 hitting percentage with nine attack errors.
Army looked to extend the match in the fourth, but Navy jumped out to a 7-1 lead. The Black Knights responded behind Corrine Blackburn, who recorded consecutive kills before Bandy and Myrick helped cut the deficit to 8-7. Navy maintained a narrow advantage until Bender tied the frame at 12 with a kill.
The Midshipmen later pushed ahead 16-14, but Army mounted another rally. Stroud delivered back-to-back service aces to tie the frame before Bandy recorded consecutive kills to give the Black Knights an 18-16 lead. Blackburn added another kill and combined with Bandy for a block to extend the advantage to 20-17.
Navy battled back to tie the set at 20, but Blackburn answered with a kill before Bandy delivered consecutive service aces to put Army ahead 23-20. Myrick later recorded a kill to give the Black Knights set point at 24-21.
The Midshipmen responded with five unanswered points, however, completing the comeback to take the frame, 26-24, and secure the four-set victory. Despite the result, Army hit .300 with 16 kills in the fourth, led by Blackburn's five kills on nine error-free attacks for a .556 hitting percentage.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Kennedy Jones led Army with 11 kills on 27 attacks for a .222 hitting percentage. She also recorded six digs and four block assists to finish with a team-high 13 points.
- Breelyn Bender finished with eight kills and four block assists, totaling 10 points.
- Kealakai Bandy contributed seven kills without an attack error, hitting .318 while adding 10 digs, two service aces and two block assists. Her consecutive aces gave Army a 23-20 lead in the fourth set.
- Corrine Blackburn provided a late offensive spark, finishing with six kills and a .250 hitting percentage. Five of her kills came in the fourth set, when she hit .556 without an attack error.
- Marlee Lightsey added seven kills and eight digs, recording four kills in the second set as Army battled back to tie the frame at 24.
- Nicole Stroud anchored the defense with a team-high 22 digs and two service aces, both of which came during Army's fourth-set comeback.
- Naomi Chinchar contributed 20 assists and 10 digs, while Audrey St. Clair added two service aces and three digs.
- Janie Deapen provided a spark with two service aces during the third set and finished with two kills and six digs.
- Army finished with 53 kills, 51 assists, 80 digs, nine service aces and eight total blocks, holding advantages over Navy in each of those categories.
- After hitting .353 in the opening set, Army was limited to .116 hitting in the second and .025 in the third, committing 17 combined attack errors across those two frames.
- Navy recorded five service aces in the fourth set and hit .359 with 16 kills and just two attack errors, helping the Midshipmen overcome Army's late 24-21 advantage.
Up Next
The Black Knights will then take on Lehigh on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. ET. It will be the first time the two teams have faced off since the 2025 Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals, where Army earned a 3-0 win inside Gillis Field House en route to their Patriot League Championship run.
For fans who cannot make it to Gillis Field House this weekend, both games 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.
