Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
4-1,0-0Patriot
Kent State
2-2,0-0MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent St. | 12 | 20 | 17 | 0 |
| Army West Point | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Earns Second-Straight 3-0 Victory, Sweeping Kent State
September 04, 2026 | Volleyball
ARLINGTON, Texas — Army West Point volleyball (4-1) continued its strong start at the UTA Tournament with a straight-set victory over Kent State (2-2) on Friday at College Park Center, sweeping the Golden Flashes, 25-12, 25-20 and 25-17.
The Black Knights improved to 4-1 on the season behind a dominant performance from Marlee Lightsey, who finished with a match-high 16 kills on 28 swings without an attack error for a .571 hitting percentage.
Lightsey also added 14 digs, two service aces and one block assist for a match-high 18.5 points. Army hit .295 as a team with 46 kills, 10 service aces and 64 digs.
How It Happened
Army took control quickly in the opening set and never looked back.
Juliette Myrick opened the match with a service ace before Kennedy Jones and Lightsey delivered kills to help Army build an early 4-1 advantage. Hannah Hankerson added a kill before Lightsey struck again, and a block from Breelyn Bender and Lightsey pushed the Black Knights ahead, 8-3.
Army continued to extend the lead behind balanced offense and aggressive serving. Lightsey added another kill to make it 12-4 before Myrick connected twice as the Black Knights carried a 15-7 advantage into the media timeout.
The Black Knights then broke the set open. Jones added a kill before Nicole Stroud delivered a service ace, and Lightsey followed with another kill to push the advantage to 19-9.
Lightsey remained a key part of the offense down the stretch, adding her fifth kill of the set to make it 22-11. Bender later provided a kill before Army closed out a convincing 25-12 first-set victory.
Lightsey was nearly perfect in the opening frame, recording five kills on seven attacks without an error for a .714 hitting percentage. Army hit .258 while holding Kent State to just .030.
Kent State provided a tougher challenge in the second set, leading during the early stages and building a 12-8 advantage.
Army began to work its way back behind Corrine Blackburn and Kealakai Bandy before Myrick delivered a service ace to pull the Black Knights within one at 12-11.
The Golden Flashes extended the lead back to 16-12, but Lightsey helped ignite Army's comeback. She put down a kill to make it 17-15 before another Lightsey swing tied the set at 17.
Myrick followed with a kill to give Army its first lead since the early stages, and Lightsey added another kill to extend the advantage to 19-17. Bender then connected to make it 20-17.
Kent State briefly stopped the run, but Lightsey responded again with a kill before stepping to the service line and recording an ace to push Army ahead, 22-18.
Bandy and Blackburn helped finish the set before Myrick delivered the final kill for a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
Lightsey recorded five kills on nine attacks without an error in the second set, hitting .556 while also adding two service aces and five digs. Army hit .308 with 17 kills in the frame.
The Black Knights carried that momentum into the third and immediately established control.
Myrick opened the set with an ace before Deapen and Blackburn recorded kills. Hankerson then took over from the service line, delivering three aces during a dominant stretch, while Lightsey and Blackburn added kills as Army raced out to a 10-1 advantage.
Lightsey continued to find success offensively, recording kills to make it 13-5, 14-6 and 16-7 as the Black Knights maintained a comfortable lead.
Army led 20-8 before Kent State made its strongest push of the frame, scoring seven consecutive points to trim the margin to 20-15.
The Black Knights answered immediately. Liliana Fox stopped the run with a kill before Jones added another to make it 22-15. A Kent State attack error moved Army within two points of the sweep.
Lightsey then closed the door, recording back-to-back kills for Army's final two points to secure the 25-17 set victory and complete the sweep.
Lightsey finished the third set with six kills on 12 swings without an error, hitting .500 while adding seven digs. Army hit .310 in the frame and finished the afternoon without dropping a set.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Marlee Lightsey turned in the standout performance of the match, recording a match-high 16 kills on 28 attacks without a single attack error for a .571 hitting percentage. She added 14 digs, two service aces and one block assist for a match-best 18.5 total points.
- Lightsey was remarkably consistent throughout the sweep, recording five kills on seven swings in the first set, five kills on nine attacks in the second and six kills on 12 swings in the third. She did not commit an attack error in any set.
- Lightsey was especially effective in transition, recording 12 kills on 19 attacks for a .632 hitting percentage, while hitting .692 on dig-to-kill opportunities.
- Juliette Myrick added seven kills on 13 attacks for a .462 hitting percentage while leading Army with 24 assists. She also contributed 13 digs and three service aces.
- Corrine Blackburn finished with eight kills on 17 swings and a .353 hitting percentage, providing another efficient option in Army's offense.
- Nicole Stroud and Myrick each recorded 13 digs, while Lightsey led the Black Knights with 14 as Army totaled 64 digs.
- Hannah Hankerson contributed a major spark from the service line with three aces, all coming during Army's early third-set run. Army finished with 10 service aces in the match.
- Army hit .295 overall, including .258 in the first set, .308 in the second and .310 in the third. The Black Knights held Kent State to a .165 hitting percentage and limited the Golden Flashes to just 28 kills.
- The Black Knights finished with a 46-28 advantage in kills and a 64-50 edge in digs while committing just 13 attack errors across the three-set sweep.
Up Next
Army will play its final game of the UTA Tournament on Saturday, this time taking on tournament host, the UT Arlington Mavericks.
It will be the first time that these two teams have faced off in program history.
The match is slated to begin inside the College Park Center at 12 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. CT. For fans who can't make it to Arlington, the match will also 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 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.
