Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
3-1,0-0Patriot
Sam Houston State
3-1,0-0CUSA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army West Point | 25 | 25 | 26 | 3 |
| Sam Houston | 21 | 21 | 24 | 0 |
Volleyball Sweeps Sam Houston State to Open UTA Tournament
September 04, 2026 | Volleyball
ARLINGTON, Texas — Army West Point volleyball (3-1) opened play at the UTA Tournament with a straight-set victory over Sam Houston State Bearkats (3-1) on Friday at College Park Center, defeating the Bearkats, 25-21, 25-21 and 26-24.
The Black Knights improved to 3-1 on the season behind an efficient offensive performance from Michelle Parker and a resilient third-set comeback.
Parker finished with nine kills on 17 swings without an attack error, hitting a team-best .529 while adding five total blocks. Army hit .252 as a team with 44 kills, 51 digs and seven blocks.
How it Happened
Army and Sam Houston traded points throughout the opening stages of the first set, with neither side able to create separation early.
Kennedy Jones recorded three early kills, while Parker and Juliette Myrick each found success offensively as the teams battled through a 6-6 tie.
The Black Knights then began to build momentum. Jones put Army ahead with a kill before Myrick delivered a service ace, and Hannah Hankerson followed with a kill as Army opened a 10-7 advantage.
Nicole Stroud added an ace before Parker connected to push the lead to 14-9, but Sam Houston answered with a run of its own, cutting the deficit to one at 14-13.
Army regained control behind Parker and Hankerson. Parker put down a kill to make it 16-15 before consecutive Hankerson kills extended the advantage to 18-15. Sam Houston eventually rallied to take a 20-19 lead, but the Black Knights responded when it mattered most.
Corrine Blackburn's kill gave Army a 21-20 advantage before a Sam Houston attack error extended the lead. Hankerson delivered another kill to reach set point, and Jones closed the frame with her fifth kill of the set for a 25-21 victory.
Jones paced Army with five kills on 10 swings without an error in the opening frame, while Parker added three kills on five attacks for a .600 hitting percentage. Army hit .275 as a team in the set.
Army carried its momentum into a back-and-forth second set.
Naomi Chinchar delivered an early service ace before Parker, Myrick and Blackburn all recorded kills as the Black Knights moved ahead, 8-7.
After Sam Houston tied the set at 11, Army responded with a four-point surge. Janie Deapen put down a kill, Chinchar followed with another service ace, and Army's front row took over with consecutive blocks to establish a 15-11 advantage.
Parker continued her efficient afternoon with back-to-back kills during the middle of the frame, helping Army stretch its lead to 17-13. Hankerson and Deapen followed with kills before Blackburn teamed with Hankerson for another block to make it 19-15.
Sam Houston made a late push, trimming Army's lead to 23-21, but Parker stopped the run with a kill to bring up set point. A Bearkats attack error on the next rally gave Army the 25-21 victory and a 2-0 match advantage.
Parker was flawless offensively in the second set, recording four kills on four attempts. She also contributed three blocks as Army hit .387 with only two attack errors in the frame.
The third set proved to be Army's toughest test of the afternoon, with the Black Knights forced to erase multiple deficits before completing the sweep.
Jones and Blackburn helped Army stay close early, but Sam Houston began to create separation and used a 6-0 run to build a 15-9 advantage.
The Black Knights steadily worked their way back into the frame. Myrick stopped the run with a kill before Deapen helped Army pick up another point. Parker followed with a kill, and Ryan Leclair added a service ace to trim the deficit to 17-15.
Sam Houston pushed its advantage back to 19-15, but Army responded with four consecutive points. A Bearkats attack error started the run before Blackburn and Marlee Lightsey combined for a block. Another Sam Houston error followed, and Jones teamed with Blackburn for a block to even the set at 19-19.
After falling behind again, Jones delivered a kill to tie the frame at 20 before Blackburn answered with another at 21-21. Jones then put Army in front, 22-21.
Sam Houston responded with three straight points and reached set point with a 24-22 advantage, but the Black Knights refused to let the match extend to a fourth.
Parker started the comeback with a kill to make it 24-23. She then teamed with Myrick for a block to tie the score at 24. Army forced consecutive Sam Houston attack errors on the next two rallies to complete the comeback, winning the set 26-24 and securing the sweep.
Army held Sam Houston to a .106 hitting percentage in the final set and recorded four blocks. Parker added two kills and two block assists in the frame, while Blackburn recorded three kills on four swings without an error.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Michelle Parker turned in a dominant and efficient performance, finishing with nine kills on 17 attacks without committing an error for a team-best .529 hitting percentage. She also recorded one solo block and four block assists, finishing with 11.0 total points.
- Parker was especially effective in the first two sets, hitting .600 with three kills in the opener before going a perfect 4-for-4 offensively in the second set. She finished the match with seven kills on 12 first-ball attacks while hitting .583 in those situations.
- Kennedy Jones led Army offensively with 12 kills on 30 swings and a .300 hitting percentage. She added two digs and two blocks for a team-high 12.5 total points.
- Corrine Blackburn provided another highly efficient performance, recording six kills on nine attacks without an error for a .667 hitting percentage. She also added three block assists and finished with 7.5 points.
- Juliette Myrick recorded five kills, 19 assists, 10 digs, one service ace and two block assists, while Naomi Chinchar added 16 assists, five digs and two service aces.
- Nicole Stroud anchored the back row with a team-high 16 digs while also contributing six assists and one service ace. Hannah Hankerson added 12 digs to go along with eight kills.
- Army finished with 44 kills and hit .252 for the match, including .275 in the opening set and a match-best .387 in the second. The Black Knights limited Sam Houston to a .195 hitting percentage overall and just .106 in the decisive third set.
- The Black Knights totaled seven blocks, including 14 block assists, while also recording five service aces and 51 digs. Army finished with a 44-42 advantage in kills and held Sam Houston to 18 attack errors compared with 15 for the Black Knights.
Coach's Corner
"We are warriors," head coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "Sam Houston is a very good team with a lot of talented hitters, and I'm proud of how our team competed this morning. Our serve and pass game was very strong, and our setters did a great job spreading the offense and getting the right hitters involved at the right moments."
"We talk all the time about being tough, about what it means to be a West Pointer, and most importantly, about playing for each other," Kovaci Lee continued. "We don't necessarily have to be the most talented or the most physical team in the country, but we must be the most connected and selfless team in the country."
This morning, this team did just that. They stayed together, trusted one another and competed for each other. Now we have to rest, and continued to stay connected as we head into our next game later this afternoon.
Up Next
Army continues its appearance at the UTA Tournament Friday afternoon, taking on the Kent State Golden Flashes at 3 p.m. ET inside the College Park Center.
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.
