Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
7-4,1-1Patriot
American
7-4,2-0Patriot
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Army West Point | 17 | 15 | 23 | 0 |
Volleyball Drops First Patriot League Game of 2026 to American
September 19, 2026 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point (7-4, 1-1) volleyball fell to the American University Eagles (7-4, 2-0) in three sets Saturday at Gillis Field House, 25-17, 25-15, 25-23.
Army's offense found its rhythm as the match progressed, culminating in a 17-kill third set in which the Black Knights hit .308 and battled the Eagles through 10 ties and six lead changes.
Michelle Parker paced Army with nine kills, while Marlee Lightsey added seven kills and handled a team-high 32 serve-receive attempts.
Juliette Myrick finished with five kills on a .312 hitting percentage, plus 17 assists and 10 digs. Naomi Chinchar also added 17 assists and 11 digs.
How It Happened
Army and American traded points early in the opening set before the Eagles used a 5-0 run to build a 6-2 advantage.
Kennedy Jones stopped the run with a kill before combining with Michelle Parker for a block, and a Naomi Chinchar service ace pulled the Black Knights within two at 7-5.
American responded by creating separation through the middle of the frame, eventually extending its lead to 17-9. Army continued to battle behind Parker, Juliette Myrick and Janie Deapen before making a late push.
Parker recorded two kills during the closing stretch, while Corrine Blackburn, Myrick and Jones also found the floor, but the Eagles held off the Black Knights for a 25-17 opening-set victory. Jones and Parker each finished the frame with three kills.
Army took the opening point of the second set on a Jones block, but American quickly answered and moved ahead 6-2. Jones delivered Army's first kill of the frame before Marlee Lightsey and Parker helped the Black Knights work back into the set.
The Eagles maintained control through the middle stages and stretched their advantage to 18-10. Lightsey added another kill before Hannah Hankerson provided an immediate spark off the bench with a kill, but Army was unable to generate an extended run.
American finished off the 25-15 victory to take a 2-0 match lead. The Eagles hit .407 in the set and recorded five team blocks.
Army responded with its strongest performance of the match in the third. Breelyn Bender delivered two early kills, while Parker and Myrick helped keep the Black Knights close. With American leading 9-7, Jones and Bender combined for a block before Kealakai Bandy delivered back-to-back kills to tie the frame at 10.
Lightsey then helped Army build momentum, recording multiple kills during a back-and-forth stretch. Myrick put the Black Knights ahead 14-13 with a kill, and Chinchar followed with another to make it 15-14. Lightsey then stepped to the service line and delivered an ace for a 16-14 advantage.
American eventually regained the lead at 20-18, but Army answered once again.
A Lightsey-Parker block tied the set at 21 before Jones delivered a kill to even the score at 22. Lightsey followed with her fifth kill of the frame to put Army in front, 23-22, and force an American timeout.
The Eagles responded out of the break, scoring the final three points to take the set, 25-23, and complete the sweep.
Despite the result, Army finished the third with 17 kills and a .308 hitting percentage, with Lightsey leading the way with five kills on 11 error-free attacks for a .455 hitting percentage.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Michelle Parker led Army with nine kills on 17 attacks and added two block assists for 10 points. Parker recorded three kills in each of the three sets.
- Marlee Lightsey finished with seven kills, four digs, one service ace and one block assist. Five of her seven kills came in the third set, when she hit .455 without committing an attack error.
- Lightsey played a key role in Army's third-set push, recording the kill that tied the frame at 13, an ace for a 16-14 advantage and the kill that put the Black Knights ahead 23-22 late in the set.
- Juliette Myrick posted five kills without an attack error to hit .312, while also recording 17 assists and 10 digs.
- Naomi Chinchar finished with 17 assists and a team-high 11 digs while adding a kill and a service ace.
- Kennedy Jones totaled five kills and was involved in three of Army's blocks. She combined with Parker for a block in the first set and with Bender for another during Army's third-set rally.
- Kealakai Bandy provided a spark off the bench with four kills on eight attacks for a .375 hitting percentage, including three kills in Army's third-set effort.
- Army finished with 40 kills, 37 assists, three service aces, 35 digs and four total blocks. The Black Knights hit .162 for the match, while American finished with 43 kills and a .427 hitting percentage.
- The third set featured 10 ties and six lead changes, with Army holding a 23-22 advantage before American scored the final three points.
Up Next
Army closes a three-game home stand inside Gillis Field House on Friday, September 25, hosting the Colgate University Raiders.
The Black Knights and Raiders split the regular season series with the Raiders, with each team winning their respective home match. The two teams also met in the 2025 Patriot League Tournament semifinals, with the No. 3 seed Army defeating the No. 2 seed Colgate, 3-2.
The match is slated for a 7 p.m. ET first serve. For fans who cannot make it to Gillis Field House, the matchup will stream 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, 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.
