Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
0-1,0-0Patriot
Iowa
1-0,0-0Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Army West Point | 23 | 15 | 17 | 0 |
Volleyball Falls to Iowa in Season Opener Inside Christl Arena
August 28, 2026 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (0-1) opened the 2026 season Friday evening at Christl Arena, falling in three sets to the Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0), 0-3.
The matchup on Friday marked the first time volleyball has returned to Christl Arena since the 2015 season. In 2015, Army hosted Iona, William & Mary and Cornell, finishing the tournament 3-0.
As for Friday night's match. The Black Knights battled the Hawkeyes in the opening frame before Iowa pulled away over the final two sets, 23-25, 15-25 and 17-25. Army finished with 29 kills, six service aces, 30 digs and two total blocks in the season opener.
How It Happened
Army found itself in an early 4-0 hole in the opening set before quickly settling into the match.
Kennedy Jones put the Black Knights on the board with a kill before Janie Deapen followed with another. Naomi Chinchar then provided a spark from the service line with an ace before Juliette Myrick connected for a kill to pull Army within one at 5-4.
Iowa responded and pushed its advantage back to 15-10, but the Black Knights answered with their best run of the set. A Jones kill started the push before Chinchar delivered two more service aces and Michelle Parker added a kill, helping Army erase the deficit and even the frame at 15-15.
The teams continued to trade points from there. A kill from Marlee Lightsey, an Iowa attack error and a Breelyn Bender kill brought Army even again at 21-21.
After Iowa moved ahead 23-21, Deapen answered with a kill and the Black Knights capitalized on an Iowa attack error to tie the set at 23. The Hawkeyes, however, claimed the final two points to escape with a 25-23 opening-set victory. Army forced five ties in the frame while recording 10 kills and four service aces.
Iowa gained control early in the second set, using a 4-0 run to turn a 1-1 tie into a 5-1 advantage.
Army attempted to cut into the deficit behind kills from Deapen and Parker, but Iowa continued to create separation and stretched its lead to 16-5.
Lightsey provided a lift for the Black Knights with three kills during a four-point stretch, while Deapen and Parker added kills as Army looked to build momentum late in the frame.
The Black Knights put together one final push with a Parker kill, a combined block from Parker and Deapen, a Myrick kill and a Deapen service ace. The run pulled Army within 22-14, but Iowa responded by taking three of the final four points to secure the second set, 25-15.
Army turned to Liliana Fox in the third set, and the freshman made an immediate impact with five kills.
After Iowa opened a 3-0 lead, Fox recorded her first kill of the match before Hannah Hankerson followed with a service ace. Bender and Deapen added kills before Chinchar's fourth ace of the match brought Army even at 5-5.
Iowa regained control with four straight points and eventually extended its advantage to 17-10. Army continued to battle, with Bender breaking the run before Fox began to find a rhythm on the outside.
Fox recorded three kills during Army's late push, including back-to-back kills that brought the Black Knights within four at 20-16. Ryan Leclair followed with a service ace to make it 20-17 and give Army additional momentum.
The Hawkeyes responded, however, scoring the final five points of the match to take the third set 25-17 and complete the sweep. Fox led Army in the frame with five kills on 12 swings, hitting .167.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Janie Deapen finished with five kills, a team-high eight digs, one service ace and two block assists for a team-best 7.5 total points.
- Liliana Fox made an impact in her collegiate debut, recording five kills on 12 swings for a .167 hitting percentage, with all five kills coming in the third set.
- Marlee Lightsey added five kills on 14 attempts and two digs, while Juliette Myrick contributed four kills, a team-high 18 assists, two digs and two block assists.
- Naomi Chinchar finished with seven assists, six digs and a match-high four service aces, with three of her aces coming in the opening set.
- Michelle Parker totaled four kills on 12 attempts and added a block assist, while Kennedy Jones posted three kills on 12 swings with a .167 hitting percentage.
- Army totaled 29 kills and 25 assists, with Myrick leading the way with 18 assists and Chinchar adding seven. The Black Knights also recorded six service aces, including four from Chinchar and one each from Deapen and Hankerson.
- Defensively, Army finished with 30 digs and two total blocks. Deapen and Audrey St. Clair led the Black Knights with eight digs apiece, while Chinchar added six.
- Army hit .000 in the first set, .031 in the second and -.028 in the third, finishing at .000 for the match. Iowa hit .338 overall, including .450 in the second set and .379 in the third.
Coach's Corner
"First off, we are so grateful for our senior leadership as well as our staff for helping create this experience for our cadet-athletes," head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "Our fans also helped create an amazing atmosphere, so we are so grateful for all of them coming to support us."
"On the floor, there are some things that we need to clean up," Kovaci Lee said. "We made a lot of errors tonight that we will aim to fix moving forward."
"Ultimately, tonight was a good learning experience for our young team. A learning experience we hope will help us grow as a team and prepare us for Patriot League play."
Up Next
Army continues hosting the Black Knight Invitational on Saturday, August 29, hosting the Sacred Heart University Pioneers.
The last time the two teams faced off was in 2024, when the Black Knights earned a 3-1 win. The Black Knights own a 12-3 record against the Pioneers, winning the last four matchups between the two squads.
First serve of day two of the Black Knight Invitational inside Christl Arena is set for 12 p.m. ET. For fans who can't make the game, it will be streaming 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.
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.
