Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
13-11,7-8Patriot
Lafayette
7-18,1-14Patriot
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army West Point | 21 | 23 | 22 | 0 |
| Lafayette | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
November 08, 2026 | Volleyball
EASTON, Pa. — Army West Point volleyball (13-11, 7-8) fell to Lafayette (7-18, 1-14) in three closely contested sets, 21-25, 23-25, 22-25, Sunday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.
The Black Knights battled throughout the afternoon, keeping each set within four points, but were unable to overcome Lafayette's offensive efficiency and presence at the net. Army finished with 37 kills on a .130 hitting percentage, while the Leopards recorded 41 kills and hit .223.
Michelle Parker led Army offensively with eight kills on a .583 hitting percentage, committing just one attack error on 12 attempts. Parker also delivered two service aces, finishing with a team-high 10 points.
Senior Juliette Myrick contributed six kills, 18 assists, seven digs and a service ace, while Kennedy Jones added six kills. Nicole Stroud anchored the defense with a match-high 19 digs, and Audrey St. Clair contributed 11 digs.
How It Happened
Army opened the first set trading points with Lafayette before Corrine Blackburn delivered four early kills to give the Black Knights a 5-3 advantage.
Hannah Hankerson and Myrick helped Army maintain a narrow lead, but Lafayette responded with a run to take a 16-13 advantage.
The Black Knights continued to battle, with Parker and Hankerson adding kills before a combined block from Bandy and Blackburn capped a 3-0 run to tie the frame at 21. Lafayette answered with four consecutive points, however, taking the opening set 25-21.
Blackburn led Army with five kills in the frame, while Stroud collected seven digs.
Lafayette carried its momentum into the second set, jumping ahead 7-3 before Army began to chip away at the deficit. Myrick recorded a kill and a service ace, while Bandy added consecutive kills to help the Black Knights pull within two at 9-7.
Parker followed with a service ace before a Lafayette attack error tied the frame at 10. The Leopards regained control, building a 21-17 lead before Army mounted another late push. Jones delivered a kill, and consecutive Lafayette attack errors brought the Black Knights within one at 22-21.
After Lafayette reached set point at 24-21, Lightsey recorded a kill before another Leopard attack error cut the deficit to 24-23. Lafayette responded with a kill to secure the 25-23 victory and take a 2-0 match lead.
Army looked to extend the match in the third set, but Lafayette jumped ahead 8-4 before extending its lead to 14-8. The Black Knights responded with a 7-1 stretch, highlighted by kills from Parker and Lightsey, to tie the frame at 15.
The Leopards answered with five consecutive points to regain a 20-15 advantage, but Army refused to go away.
Parker delivered two kills, while Bandy and Victoria Kasanganay combined for a pair of blocks to bring the Black Knights within one at 22-21.
Kasanganay later added a kill to cut the deficit to 23-22, but Lafayette secured the final two points to take the set 25-22 and complete the sweep.
Army recorded its most efficient offensive performance of the afternoon in the third set, hitting .216 with 15 kills, led by Parker's four kills on five attacks.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Michelle Parker led Army with eight kills on a .583 hitting percentage, adding two service aces to finish with a team-high 10 points. She recorded four kills on five attacks in the third set.
- Senior Juliette Myrick finished with six kills, 18 assists and seven digs, hitting .227 while adding a service ace.
- Kennedy Jones contributed six kills, including three in the third set as Army battled back from an early deficit.
- Nicole Stroud anchored the defense with a match-high 19 digs, adding three assists and a service ace.
- Audrey St. Clair recorded 11 digs, while Naomi Chinchar added 14 assists and seven digs.
- Corrine Blackburn finished with five kills and a block assist, recording all five kills in the opening set.
- Marlee Lightsey added five kills on a .250 hitting percentage, four digs and two assists.
- Kealakai Bandy contributed three kills, three digs and three block assists, while Victoria Kasanganay added two kills and two block assists.
- Army finished with 37 kills, 37 assists, 55 digs, four service aces and three total blocks, hitting .130 for the match.
- The Black Knights improved their offensive efficiency in each set, hitting .085 in the first, .103 in the second and .216 in the third.
- Lafayette held a 9-3 advantage in total blocks, while Army committed 21 attack errors compared to the Leopards' 14.
- Lafayette's Jada Aksu led all players with 12 kills on a .400 hitting percentage, while Paige Chmura added nine kills and six block assists.
Coach's Corner
"After the game, and talked to Lafayette's head coach, and per their coach, Lafayette played their best volleyball in two years," head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "Nothing was clicking for us today. We will regroup, get some good practices in and get on the road for a tough Lehigh team on Friday."
Up Next
The Black Knights stay on the road for their regular season finale on Friday, Nov. 13, as they head back to Pennsylvania, this time to Bethlehem, to take on the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks.
The two teams faced off in Gillis Field House on Oct. 10, with Army falling to the Mountain Hawks, 1-3. Currently, Lehigh sits as the second best team in the Patriot League standings.
The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET first serve. For fans who cannot make the match, it 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.
