Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
2-1,0-0Patriot
UAlbany
0-3,0-0America East
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAlbany | 25 | 19 | 25 | 14 | 10 | 2 |
| Army West Point | 21 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Volleyball Claims Five-Set Thriller Victory over UAlbany
August 30, 2026 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (2-1) closed out the Black Knight Invitational with a five-set victory over UAlbany (0-3) on Sunday at Christl Arena, defeating the Great Danes, 21-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-14, 15-10.
The Black Knights improved to 2-1 on the season behind a career-high 18 kills from Kennedy Jones and a strong all-around performance from Juliette Myrick.
Jones hit .452 with just four errors on 31 attacks and added five block assists, while Myrick finished with 12 kills, a .333 hitting percentage, 35 assists, nine digs and four service aces.
Army also finished the Black Knight Invitational 2-1, good for second overall in the tournament. Jones and Myrick were named to the Black Knight Invitational All-Tournament Team for their performances over the weekend.
How It Happened
Army and UAlbany traded points throughout the early stages of the opening set. Jones opened the match with a kill before Michelle Parker and Myrick helped the Black Knights move ahead, 5-4.
With the score tied at 7-7, Myrick sparked a 5-0 Army run. Jones and Breelyn Bender combined for a block before Myrick delivered consecutive service aces, and Jones followed with another kill to give the Black Knights a 12-7 advantage.
Army remained in front, 18-14, following a Liliana Fox kill and a UAlbany attack error, but the Great Danes responded with six consecutive points to take a 20-18 lead. Myrick stopped the run with a kill, but UAlbany maintained control down the stretch and took the opening set, 25-21. Jones and Myrick each finished the frame with four kills, with Jones hitting .667 on six attacks.
Jones took over offensively early in the second set, recording five of Army's first six kills as the Black Knights battled through several early ties. Her sixth kill of the frame gave Army a 12-9 advantage.
Janie Deapen helped Army build on the lead with four kills during the middle stages, while Myrick added a pair of kills as the Black Knights moved ahead, 16-14. UAlbany pulled even at 17 before Army answered with a decisive closing run.
Bender's kill gave the Black Knights the lead for good at 19-17 before Marlee Lightsey added a kill to make it 20-18. Army then scored five of the final six points, including a Jones-Bender block and a Lightsey service ace, before Bender closed the set with a kill for a 25-19 victory.
Jones totaled six kills on 10 attacks and hit .500 in the second set, while Deapen added four kills on seven swings. Army hit .364 as a team to even the match at one set apiece.
UAlbany regained the advantage in a tightly contested third set. The teams traded points through an 11-11 tie before the Great Danes used a 5-1 stretch to establish a 16-12 lead.
Army continued to battle behind Myrick, who delivered three kills during the latter half of the frame. Hannah Hankerson recorded her first kill of the match to pull Army within 21-19 before Jones cut the deficit to three at 23-20.
The Black Knights fought off two set points as Parker recorded a kill and Naomi Chinchar followed with a service ace to make it 24-22, but UAlbany answered with the final point to take the set, 25-22, and move ahead 2-1 in the match.
Facing a must-win fourth set, Army delivered its most dominant frame of the match.
Myrick opened the set with consecutive service aces before Hankerson recorded a kill to give Army an early 3-1 advantage. With the Black Knights leading 6-5, Myrick put down back-to-back kills to ignite a 5-0 run that extended the lead to 11-5.
Hankerson then helped Army pull away. She recorded three kills during a stretch that pushed the Black Knights' advantage to 15-8 before Deapen added three kills of her own to make it 18-11.
Army continued to pour it on late. Parker and Hankerson delivered kills before Ryan Leclair recorded a service ace to make it 21-12. Hankerson then added another kill and an ace before Bender closed the frame with a kill for a convincing 25-14 victory.
The Black Knights hit a match-best .400 in the fourth set, recording 15 kills with only three errors. Hankerson led the attack with six kills on 12 swings without an error, while Myrick was perfect offensively with two kills on two attacks and added eight assists and two aces.
The deciding fifth set featured eight ties before Army took control late.
After UAlbany scored the first two points, Jones responded with consecutive kills to even the set at 2-2. She struck again to put Army ahead, 4-3, before the teams continued trading points through an 8-8 tie.
Hankerson gave Army a 9-8 lead with a kill, and after UAlbany tied the set once more, Hankerson put the Black Knights back in front, 10-9. A Great Danes attack error stretched the lead to two before Jones recorded her 17th kill to make it 12-10.
Deapen followed with a kill before Jones and Bender combined for a block to give Army match point. Jones then delivered the exclamation point, putting away her career-high 18th kill to seal the 15-10 set and the five-set victory.
Jones was dominant when Army needed her most, recording five kills on eight attacks without an error for a .625 hitting percentage in the deciding frame.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Kennedy Jones posted a career-high 18 kills, committing just four errors on 31 attacks for a match-best .452 hitting percentage. She also contributed five block assists and finished with a team-high 20.5 points. Jones recorded five of her kills in the fifth set, including the match-clinching point.
- Juliette Myrick delivered one of Army's strongest all-around performances, recording 12 kills on 27 attacks with a .333 hitting percentage while also dishing out a team-high 35 assists. She added nine digs, four service aces and two block assists for 16.0 total points.
- Myrick was especially effective on first-ball attacks, recording eight kills on 14 swings for a .500 hitting percentage in those situations.
- Hannah Hankerson provided a major spark off the bench, finishing with nine kills and only one error on 17 attacks for a team-best .471 hitting percentage. Six of her nine kills came in Army's 25-14 fourth-set victory.
- Janie Deapen added 11 kills, 13 digs and two service aces, finishing with 13.0 points. She also handled a team-high 36 serve receptions with just one reception error.
- Naomi Chinchar complemented Myrick in Army's two-setter offense with 22 assists and 13 digs, giving the Black Knights 57 combined assists between the pair.
- Nicole Stroud recorded 12 digs, while Deapen and Chinchar each finished with 13 as Army totaled 71 digs.
- Army hit .279 for the match and improved offensively as the match progressed, hitting .364 in the second set, .400 in the fourth and .348 in the decisive fifth. The Black Knights held UAlbany to a .111 hitting percentage in the fifth.
- The Black Knights finished with 68 kills compared with UAlbany's 52 and held advantages in service aces (12-8), digs (71-59) and total blocks (8-6).
Coach's Corner
"I'm incredibly proud of this five-set win and the fight our team showed," head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "It's easy to let go when you're down 2-1, but this group didn't. The true identity of this team is grit. It's not always going to be pretty, but these warriors stayed together, kept fighting and found a way to win when it mattered most.
"Kennedy and Juliette had great performances, and Hannah was the spark we needed," Kovaci Lee continued. "She brings it every single day in practice, so I had complete trust in her ability to step in and play six rotations. I'm so proud of her for being ready when the team needed her the most."
"It was also incredibly special to see the support from our new West Point leadership from our Superintendent, Commandant, Dean, Athletic Director and so many others today. It means a great deal to our cadet-athletes to see their leadership there supporting them. We talk about being One Team, and today truly felt like that."
"Finally, we have a huge thank you to our administration, managers, media and marketing teams, and the basketball coaching staff for helping us create a first-class event in the Black Knight Invitational at Christl Arena this weekend. What an incredible experience for our cadet-athletes and for Army Volleyball."
Up Next
Army will head to the Lone Star State over Labor Day weekend to play in the UTA Tournament in Arlington, Texas, where they will take on Sam Houston State, Kent State and UT Arlington.
The tournament begins on Friday, September 4, when Army will first play Sam Houston State at 11 a.m. ET, then will take on Kent State at 3 p.m. ET.
The tournament will conclude when Army takes on the host team, UTA, on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 12 p.m. ET, with that game 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.
