Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
1-1,0-0Patriot
Sacred Heart
0-1,0-0MAAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacred Heart | 25 | 18 | 23 | 14 | 1 |
| Army West Point | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Scores First Win of 2026 Against Sacred Heart
August 29, 2026 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (1-1) earned its first win of the 2026 season Saturday, defeating the Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-1) in four sets at Christl Arena, 3-1.
The Black Knights earned their first win of the 2026 season and their first win inside Christl Arena since 2015, the last time the Black Knight Invitational was played there.
After dropping a tightly contested opening set, the Black Knights responded by winning three straight, 23-25, 25-18, 25-23 and 25-14. Army finished the match hitting .239 with 47 kills, 13 service aces, 61 digs and eight total blocks.
How It Happened
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle with neither side able to create much separation early.
Janie Deapen put down Army's first kill before adding a service ace to even the score at 4-4. Liliana Fox followed with back-to-back kills, while Victoria Kasanganay added a kill of her own as Army moved in front, 7-6.
With the score tied at 11, Army created the first significant separation of the frame. Corrine Blackburn started the run with a kill before Juliette Myrick followed with another. Blackburn and Myrick then combined for a block as the Black Knights built a 15-11 advantage. Sacred Heart responded with three straight points to cut Army's lead to one.
Deapen helped Army regain momentum with consecutive kills to make it 20-18, but the Pioneers answered again and eventually moved in front, 21-20. Deapen tied the frame at 21 before Blackburn's kill made it 22-22.
Sacred Heart reached set point at 24-22 before Deapen extended the frame with her fifth kill of the set. The Pioneers ultimately closed it out on the next point, taking the opener 25-23. Deapen led Army with five kills on eight swings and hit .500 in the frame.
Army responded immediately in the second set, using an early run to take control.
Michelle Parker and Kennedy Jones delivered consecutive kills to give the Black Knights a 4-2 advantage before another Jones kill, and a Deapen swing extended the lead to 7-3.
The Black Knights continued to pressure Sacred Heart at the net. Deapen recorded a solo block before Marlee Lightsey added a kill, and Army carried a 15-10 advantage into the media timeout following a Lightsey service ace.
Jones and Breelyn Bender contributed kills as Army maintained control before Deapen took over from the service line late in the set. With Army leading 20-16, Deapen recorded three consecutive service aces to push the advantage to seven at 23-16.
Myrick finished off the frame with a kill, giving Army a 25-18 victory and evening the match at one set apiece. The Black Knights held Sacred Heart to a .114 hitting percentage in the set while recording four total blocks and five service aces.
The third set developed into another tight battle, with Sacred Heart taking an early 10-7 advantage before Army began to turn the momentum.
A Sacred Heart attack error and a Lightsey service ace pulled Army within one before a block from Bender and Jones tied the set at 10. The Black Knights then broke an 11-11 tie with a 4-1 run to move ahead 15-12.
Parker delivered three kills during a key stretch that helped Army maintain its advantage, while Myrick's service ace extended the lead to 20-17.
Sacred Heart fought back to tie the set at 22, but Jones answered with a kill to put Army back in front. A Pioneers attack error gave the Black Knights set point before Myrick put away the final ball for the 25-23 victory and a 2-1 match lead.
Parker was nearly flawless offensively in the third, recording four kills on five swings for an .800 hitting percentage, while Jones added four kills and Myrick contributed two kills, five assists and a service ace.
Army carried its momentum into the fourth set and took control immediately.
With Myrick at the service line, the Black Knights raced out to a 7-0 advantage. Bender and Jones combined for a block before Myrick delivered back-to-back service aces. Lightsey followed with a kill as Army quickly put Sacred Heart on its heels.
Jones continued to produce from the front row, recording three kills as Army stretched its advantage to 11-3. Parker and Bender added kills before Myrick's kill, and another service ace gave the Black Knights a 17-9 lead.
Lightsey then delivered a dominant stretch from the service line. After recording a kill, she followed with consecutive aces before Jones added another kill and teamed with Lightsey for a block to extend Army's advantage to 22-10.
Deapen put the finishing touches on the victory, recording three of Army's final points on kills, including the match-clinching swing for a 25-14 fourth-set win. Army hit a match-best .324 in the final frame, committing just two attack errors on 34 swings.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Kennedy Jones led Army with 11 kills on 26 swings for a .231 hitting percentage. She added six digs, one solo block and four block assists to finish with 14.0 total points.
- Janie Deapen finished with 10 kills, six digs, four service aces, two solo blocks and two block assists, totaling a team-high 16.0 points.
- Juliette Myrick turned in an all-around performance with seven kills on 19 swings and a .368 hitting percentage while leading Army with 22 assists. She also recorded 11 digs, four service aces and a block assist.
- Michelle Parker was efficient offensively, finishing with six kills on 12 attacks without an error for a team-best .500 hitting percentage.
- Marlee Lightsey recorded four kills, 10 digs, four service aces and a block assist, while Breelyn Bender added three kills on 10 swings with a .300 hitting percentage and three block assists.
- Naomi Chinchar contributed 19 assists, nine digs and one service ace, combining with Myrick to account for 41 of Army's 45 assists.
- Audrey St. Clair anchored Army's back row with a team-high 11 digs, while Myrick also finished with 11 and Lightsey added 10. Army totaled 61 digs in the victory.
- Army finished with 13 service aces, led by four apiece from Myrick, Deapen and Lightsey, while Chinchar added one. The Black Knights also totaled eight blocks, including three solo blocks and 10 block assists.
- The Black Knights improved offensively throughout the match, hitting .175 in the first set, .233 in the second, .235 in the third and a match-best .324 in the fourth to finish at .239 overall.
Coach's Corner
"This was our first team win of the year, and I'm really proud of the way we competed," head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "What stood out to me was our love for each other, our grit, and our willingness to play fearlessly. We had a lot of different players step up today, and that's going to be important for us this year; we're going to need all of us.
"We've put a lot of work into developing our offense, and today I thought we turned a corner," Kovaci Lee continued. "It wasn't just about getting kills; we were much more efficient and made better decisions. Sacred Heart has some powerful hitters who challenged us, and I thought our team responded really well. This was a great step forward for us, and now we keep building."
Up Next
Army will play its final game of the Black Knight Invitational on Sunday, hosting the UAlbany Great Danes.
It'll be the first time since 2018 that the two teams have faced off in the regular season. The Black Knights hold a 5-3 advantage in the series, with Army earning a 3-2 win.
The final game of the Black Knight Invitational inside Christl Arena is set for2 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.
