Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
6-1,0-0Patriot
Liberty
4-4,0-0CUSA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army West Point | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Liberty | 19 | 13 | 17 | 0 |
Volleyball Rolls Past Liberty for Fourth Consecutive Sweep
September 11, 2026 | Volleyball
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (6-1) continued its dominant stretch with a straight-set victory over Liberty University (4-4) on Friday at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center, defeating the Flames 3-0 with 25-19, 25-13 and 25-17 set scores.
The victory marked Army's fourth consecutive sweep, as the Black Knights have not dropped a set since their five-set victory over UAlbany. Army has now won 14 consecutive sets during its five-match winning streak.
The Black Knights earn their fifth straight win behind one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season, hitting .475 with 45 kills and only seven attack errors.
Kennedy Jones led the way with 13 kills on 20 swings and a .600 hitting percentage, while Marlee Lightsey added 11 kills and hit .450. Juliette Myrick contributed seven kills on 12 attacks, hit .500 and dished out a team-high 22 assists. Army also recorded seven service aces, 47 digs and five team blocks.
How It Happened
Army and Liberty traded points through the early stages of the opening set, with the teams tied 8-8.
Lightsey helped set the tone offensively with three early kills before Myrick and Victoria Kasanganay added kills of their own. Jones then began to find her rhythm, recording back-to-back kills to put Army ahead, 9-8.
Hannah Hankerson followed with a service ace before Lightsey connected again, giving the Black Knights an 11-8 advantage and forcing a Liberty timeout.
Liberty stayed within striking distance and trimmed Army's lead to 14-13, but the Black Knights responded. Myrick put down a kill before Jones and Lightsey helped Army stretch the advantage to 19-15.
Army's defense at the net then provided another spark as Jones and Corrine Blackburn combined for a block to make it 20-15. Liberty pulled within three at 20-17, but Jones stopped the run with a kill.
Hankerson added two kills during the closing stretch before finishing the set with another kill to secure the 25-19 victory.
Army hit .424 with 17 kills in the opening frame. Jones led the Black Knights with six kills on 11 attacks and a .455 hitting percentage, while Lightsey added five kills and Myrick was perfect on her two attacks. Hankerson chipped in three kills on four swings and an ace.
The Black Knights took control much earlier in the second set, using a balanced offensive attack and strong play at the net to quickly create separation.
After Liberty took a 2-1 lead, Jones delivered three kills during a 5-1 Army run. Lightsey and Myrick followed with kills before Myrick teamed with Kasanganay for a block, helping Army race ahead, 7-3. Naomi Chinchar followed with a service ace to extend the advantage to five.
Army continued to pull away behind Jones and Blackburn. Jones put down consecutive kills to extend the lead to 15-6 before Blackburn added a kill and then teamed with Jones for a block, making it 17-6.
Kealakai Bandy also provided a spark off the bench, contributing three kills during the second set. Her first made it 18-7 before she added another to push Army ahead, 23-13.
Ryan Leclair then delivered a service ace to bring up set point, and Bandy finished the frame with another kill for a dominant 25-13 victory.
The Black Knights hit .500 in the second set with 18 kills on 28 attacks. Jones was perfect offensively, recording five kills on five swings, while Blackburn put down four kills on six attacks and hit .667. Bandy added three kills on four swings and hit .750. Army's defense held Liberty to seven kills and a .107 hitting percentage.
Army maintained control in the third set as it looked to complete its fifth consecutive sweep.
After Liberty opened a 3-1 advantage, Lightsey delivered back-to-back kills to tie the frame. Chinchar followed with an ace to put Army in front before Lightsey added an ace of her own.
Army's front row then took over. Bandy and Kasanganay combined for a block to make it 8-4 before the duo teamed up for another rejection two points later. Myrick added consecutive kills during the run as the Black Knights built an 11-4 advantage.
Liberty attempted to chip away at the deficit, but Army continued to answer. Jones delivered a kill to make it 15-9 before Nicole Stroud followed with a service ace. Kasanganay added a kill, and Chinchar's second ace of the frame extended the advantage to 18-11.
Lightsey put down another kill to make it 19-12 before Myrick connected to push the Black Knights ahead, 21-14. Jones followed with another kill at 23-15, and after Liberty scored twice, Army reached match point on a service error.
Lightsey fittingly finished the afternoon, putting down her 11th kill to secure the 25-17 third-set victory and Army's fifth straight sweep.
Army saved its most efficient set for last, recording 10 kills without an attack error on 19 swings for a .526 hitting percentage. Lightsey led the way with four kills on six error-free attacks, while Myrick added three kills on five swings and Jones had two kills on four attempts.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Kennedy Jones led Army with 13 kills on 20 attacks while committing just one error for a .600 hitting percentage. She added two block assists and finished with a match-high 14.0 points. Jones recorded six kills in the opening set, went a perfect 5-for-5 in the second and added two kills in the third.
- Marlee Lightsey continued her strong offensive play with 11 kills on 20 attacks and a .450 hitting percentage. She also contributed five digs and a service ace while finishing with 12.0 points. Lightsey did not commit an attack error in the third set, putting down four kills on six swings and hitting .667.
- Juliette Myrick delivered another efficient all-around performance, finishing with seven kills on 12 swings and a .500 hitting percentage while leading Army with 22 assists. She added 11 digs and one block assist, finishing one dig shy of a double-double.
- Myrick was especially efficient in the first and third sets, going 2-for-2 in the opener before recording three kills without an error on five attacks in the final frame. She also dished out 12 assists in Army's 25-13 second-set victory.
- Army has swept each of its last four opponents and has won 14 consecutive sets since its five-set victory over UAlbany. The Black Knights have not dropped a set since the UAlbany match and carry a five-match winning streak following Friday's victory over Liberty.
- Army produced its most efficient offensive performance of the current five-match winning streak, hitting .475 with 45 kills and only seven attack errors. The Black Knights hit .424 in the first set, .500 in the second and .526 without an attack error in the third.
- Army's balanced attack featured five players hitting .429 or better. Jones hit .600, Myrick .500, Lightsey .450, Blackburn .444 and Bandy .429, while Hankerson recorded four kills on five swings for a match-best .800 hitting percentage.
- The Black Knights totaled five team blocks, led by Kasanganay's three block assists. Jones, Bandy and Blackburn each added two block assists, while Myrick contributed one. Army held Liberty to a .260 hitting percentage for the match.
- Chinchar provided a spark from the service line with three aces while adding 12 assists and eight digs. Army finished with seven service aces, with Leclair, Stroud, Hankerson and Lightsey also recording one apiece.
- Stroud anchored Army's defense with 13 digs while adding seven assists and a service ace. Lightsey added five digs and Hankerson eight as the Black Knights totaled 47 for the match.
Coach's Corner
Hear head coach Alma Kovaci Lee and her thoughts on this afternoon's win.
Up Next
Army continues its appearance at the Hofstra Invitational, playing its second game of the day at 7 p.m. ET against the Fairfield University Stags.
For fans who can't make it to Hempstead, the game will stream live on FloCollege.
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.
