Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Washington State
Washington State Tops Army, 3-1
September 01, 2013 | Volleyball
Sep 1, 2013
West Point, N.Y. - In the sixth and final game in the Black Knights Invitational Army fell short to Washington State, 3-1. Though Army came back to win its second set, Washington State took back control to win the last two sets of the match. The Black Knights finished the tournament with a 0-3 start to their season.
The Cougars came out strong winning the first set, 25-19, in which Army rebelled winning the second match, 25-16. As the Black Knights continued to fight for the win, Washington State came out on top, 25-18 and 25-12, in the remaining two sets.
Freshman Olivia Fairfield stood strong in the middle with an average hitting percentage of .320 and 11 kills. Junior setter Mary Vaccaro also showed intensity through 27 assists throughout the match. Senior co-captain D.J Phee not only had 14 digs in the match but was voted onto the Black Knights Invitational All-Tournament team by coaches for her efforts over the entire tournament.
“The record of the tournament doesn’t show our level of play,” said head coach Alma Kovaci. “We knew coming into this tournament that it was going to be challenging with Seton Hall, Alabama and Washington State. We knew it was going to be tough competition which was what we were looking for. It will help us prepare for the conference matches. It’s amazing to see how much we grew through this tournament. When we play well, we are able to beat PAC-12 and SEC teams. I am very proud of the way these girls played. If we can maintain that level of play, at least 60 percent of the time, then we will be a very good team. It’s still early in the season so I am proud of them for this.”
Getting out late in the first set, Army fell behind early to Washington State’s five point lead, with the score 13-8. Although both Fairfield and sophomore Nicole Perri contributed kills, assisted by Vaccaro, the Black Knights were unable to close that gap. With the score 22-17 late in the set, blocking from freshmen Alexandra Bell and co-captain Margaux Jarka was key in lessening the lead of only three points in Washington State’s favor. With the score 22-19, the Cougars rallied three points for a 25-19 win.
Going into the second set, Army turned the tables and took a three point lead early in the set. With four tough serves from sophomore setter Vanessa Edwards the Cougars were unable to maintain the momentum shown in the previous set. Efforts from Fairfield, who had five kills in the set, and Jarka, who had three kills, helped create a six-point lead for Army. With back to back service aces from Perri the Black Knights came out with a 25-16 win.
Taking a five-point lead in the third set, the Cougars stepped up their game with kills from Black Knights Invitational Most Valuable Player Kyra Holt. Army fought to lessen the gap with kills from Perri and Jarka from the outside. Though Army’s efforts were substantial, Washington State pulled away to make the score 19-12. Despite three kills from senior Kerry Horan, the Cougars won the set 25-18 and took a 2-1 lead on the match.
In the final set, Washington State’s Camryn Irwin served three aces to take a six-point lead over the Black Knights early. In spite of a block from Fairfield, the Cougars were able to uphold and expand their lead 18-7. With multiple service errors from both sides, Washington State was able to stretch its lead to 13 points and win the set, 25-12.
Army will take the court against Marist on Wed., Sept. 4, at Gillis Field House. The match will start at 7 p.m. and admission is free to the public.
Black Knights Invitational All-Tournament Team
Kyra Holt (Washington State)
Camryn Irwin (Washington State)
Ver’Leea Hardaway (Washington State)
Krystal Rivers (Alabama)
Katherine White (Alabama)
Shelbey Manthorpe (Seton Hall)
D.J. Phee (Army)
Black Knights Invitational MVP
Kyra Holt (Washington State)
