Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Loyola Maryland
Volleyball Begins Patriot League Play at Home Against Loyola Maryland, American
September 17, 2026 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point volleyball (6-3) will open Patriot League play inside Gillis Field House this weekend, hosting the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (2-6) and the American University Eagles (5-4).
First, the Black Knights will host the Greyhounds on Friday, Sept. 18 beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Last season, the Black Knights swept the regular season series between the two teams. Army has also won the last three matchups against Loyola Maryland.
Then on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. ET, Army takes on American in a rematch of the 2025 Patriot League Championship game, where Eagles swept the Black Knights. American won all three matchups versus the Black Knights last season, and Army hope to get its first win against American since the 2023 season.
For fans who cannot make it to Gillis Field House, with games will stream live on ESPN+.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Army traveled to Hempstead, N.Y., on Sept. 11-12 to close out non-conference play at the Hofstra Invitational. The Black Knights finished the tournament 1-2, first sweeping the Liberty University Flames, 3-0, stretching their longest win streak of the season to five straight games, including a 14-set unbeaten streak. Both streak were snapped in the team's 0-3 loss to the Fairfield University Stags, then Army saw a 2-3 loss to the Hofstra University Pride to close the tournament. Freshman Marlee Lightsey was named Rookie of the Week after her performance.
LIGHT 'EM LIGHTSEY: Marlee Lightsey was named Rookie of the Week for the second straight week on Tuesday. Lightsey is the first Army player since 2016 to be named Patriot League Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks. The last was Allie Strong, who received the honor consecutively on Sept. 6 and Sept. 13, 2016. The plebe earned the honor after finishing last week with 22 kills with a .288 hitting percentage. Lightsey also added 14 digs, three aces, one block and a .926 reception percentage at the Hofstra Invitational.
JACK OF ALL TRADES: Juliette Myrick continues to serve as the central piece to Army's offense this season. The lone senior was named the UTA Tournament MVP plus was named to the Black Knight Invitational All-Tournament Team. She directs the offense with a team-best 204 assists (6.38 per set) while also adding 13 service aces, the fourth-best mark in the Patriot League. Myrick's best performance was in Army's win against UAlbany, where she finished with 12 kills (career-high), 16.0 points (career high), 35 assists, nine digs and four service aces (career-high).
HOLDING DOWN THE BACK LINE: Nicole Stroud has served as Army's primary libero this season, setting the tone for Army's defense this season, who currently second in the Patriot League and 37th in the country in digs per set (15.38). The junior has 109 digs this season and averages 3.76 per set, numbers good for seventh in the Patriot League. Last week she finished with a team high 52 digs (4.73 per set), added a perfect 1.000 reception percentage on 56 total attempts and earned a season-high 22 digs against Hofstra.
KEEPING UP WITH JONES: Sophomore Kennedy Jones proved to be one of the offensive standout for the Black Knights through non-league play. She leads the team with 94 kills (2.94 per set) while posting a .266 hitting percentage, while also adding a team-best 16 blocks. Her standout performance so far this season came against UAlbany, where she tallied 18 kills on a match-best .452 hitting percentage. Jones also contributed five blocks and finished with a career-high 20.5 points. She also had 13 kills on a .600 hitting percentage in Army's win over Liberty last week.
ACE ACE BABY: So far in 2026, the Black Knights prove to be one of the premier serving teams in the country. Army currently sits 19th in all of Division I volleyball in aces per set, with the team averaging 2.16 per set. It's also the best mark in the Patriot League. UNC-Asheville leads the country averaging 2.98 per set. The next closest team to the Black Knights in the rankings from the Patriot League is Lafayette is 1.82 per set.
SETTING THE STANDARD: Through three weeks of the 2026 season, Army holds some of the best numbers in NCAA Division I in several statistical categories. The Black Knights are one of the best serving team's in the country, currently ranked 19th in aces per set at 2.16. Army's defense is currently 37th in the nation, averaging 15.38 digs per set. The team is also in the top 90 or higher in two other statistical categories, including assists per set (74)and kills per set (85).
NON-CONFERENCE REVIEW: The Black Knights finished the non-league play 6-3, identical to their record after non-league play last season. First, they hosted Iowa, Sacred Heart and UAlbany for annual Black Knight Invitational in Christl Arena August 28-30, where they finished 2-1, seeing their only loss so far this season to Iowa. Army then headed to Arlington, Texas for the UTA Tournament, defeating Sam Houston, Kent State and UT Arlington in straight sets. They finished in Long Island at the Hofstra Invitational, earning a Liberty 3-0 win over Liberty before falling to Fairfield, 0-3, and Hofstra, 2-3.
History with Loyola Maryland
- The Black Knights lead the series, 19-8
- Current Streak: Army, 3 wins
- Last Army win: Oct. 18, 2025, 3-1
- Last Loyola win: Sept. 28, 2024, 3-2
History with American
- The Eagles lead the series, 48-13
- Current Streak: American, 6 wins
- Last Army win: Nov. 4, 2023, 3-2
- Last American win: Nov. 23, 2025, 3-0
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.
