Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Holy Cross
Army Cruises Past Holy Cross
October 19, 2013 | Volleyball
Oct. 19, 2013
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army volleyball team picked up a victory on the road over Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., on Saturday, Oct. 19. The Black Knights (11-8, 8-1 Patriot League) swept the Crusaders (7-14, 2-7) in three sets (26-24, 25-18 and 25-16) as they fought for their second victory over the Patriot League rivals since Tuesday.
Senior middle blocker Megan Wilton led the Black Knights with 11 kills and a .308 average hitting percentage. With six kills in 11 attempts, freshman middle blocker Olivia Fairfield made no errors and hit for a .545 percentage.
Defensively the Black Knights outnumbered the Crusaders with six total blocks and held them to a .139 hitting percentage and three blocks. Senior co-captain libero D.J. Phee led all players with 15 digs, while sophomore setter Vanessa Edwards added 36 assists.
“Holy Cross played extremely well,” said Army head coach Alma Kovaci. “We struggled a bit in the beginning, they were right with us until the 24th point in the first set but we found our groove. I am proud of our mental toughness and for not letting a set get away from us. It was not an easy win tonight and we are looking ahead and preparing for the matches ahead.”
Army came out to capture the first three points of the first set with kills from Fairfield and Wilton, before Holy Cross came back to score five of the next seven points to tie set, 5-5. The Black Knights would then regain the lead, 11-9, with kills from sophomore outside hitter Nicole Perri. Holy Cross freshman setter Katie McKernan would answer those points with four service aces to regain the lead. After a brief timeout, the Army would chip away at a three point deficit until they came back to tie the set 20-20. The teams would fight through the next four points, until Army closed the set 26-24.
The second opened with a 4-4 tie score with two kills coming from senior co-captain outside hitter Margaux Jarka. Three forced attack errors and a kill from senior right side hitter Kerry Horan gave the Black Knights an edge as they pulled ahead 15-10. After forcing Holy Cross to take a timeout, Army would maintain its lead for the remainder of the set. Multiple forced errors and an offensive front allowed for the Black Knights to snag a 25-18 victory over the Crusaders.
In attempt to fight back from a 2-0 deficit, Holy Cross took an early 8-3 in the third set. But the Black Knights wouldn’t back down a with two service aces from Edwards and two kills from Horan to tie the set 9-9. Taking advantage of its momentum, Army took a 19-14 lead over the Crusaders. Allowing just two additional points, the Black Knights would go on to claim a 25-16 win.
The Black Knights will compete in their 10th and 11th Patriot League matches, respectively, versus Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa. on Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. and in Bethlehem, Pa., against Lehigh on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m. Army swept the Bison in its last meeting and finished with a 3-2 win over the Mountain Hawks, both at Gillis Field house earlier this season.
