Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
2-2
UMass Lowell
0-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UMass Lowell | 12 | 18 | 18 | 0 |
| Army | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Smothers UMass Lowell
August 30, 2014 | Volleyball
Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Army volleyball team closed its participation in the Hampton Inn-vitational in style with a 3-0 shutout of UMass Lowell on Saturday afternoon at Chace Athletic Center. The Black Knights won the sets 25-12, 25-18 and 25-18.
Army completed its weekend with a 2-2 record, while UMass Lowell fell to 0-4 in the event.
"This was a match where we finally got into a rhythm and everyone felt confident in their abilities," head coach Alma Kovaci said. "It was fun to watch everyone trust each other and communicate so effectively. I used a lot of players and everyone who came in did a fantastic job. I'm very proud of our effort."
UMass Lowell started the initial set with an 8-6 lead before Army ripped off seven in-a-row to go up 13-8. Three kills by junior outside hitter Nicole Perri and a service ace from Carolyn Bockrath forced the River Hawks to call for time. Leading 14-10, Army pushed the advantage to 17-10 with a spike from freshman Vanessa Wesley and consecutive points by classmate Amber Clay. Army went on to end the set with seven of the final eight points, including aces by seniors Deanna Dalton and Kristen Smeland.
Moving into the second set did not slow Army down as it continued its 11-2 run from the first set and extended it to 21-2 with a 9-0 stretch. Junior co-captain Vanessa Edwards scored points on three service aces to spark Army's hot start. The Black Knights looked like they would cruise to a second set win when they led 23-10, but UMass Lowell made it interesting with six consecutive points and eight of nine before Army finished off the set, 25-18.
Army claimed the decisive third set by an identical 25-18 score. After breaking a 3-3 tie early on, Army never trailed en route to the 3-0 sweep. The lead was as many as eight for the Black Knights following Clay's finish that made the score 18-10.
The balanced team effort saw three Army players contribute at least seven kills, led by Bockrath (12), who was named to the Hamton Inn-vitational All-Tournament Team. Perri added eight with a .538 hitting percentage, while Clay was credited with seven. Edwards and Smeland each had seven digs and Pickell, Clay and Dalton each totaled six. Edwards also had 24 of Army's 30 kills and three aces.
"Once again, while we know winning is important, our focus is to grow every time we step on the court," Kovaci added. "If we do that, the winning will take care of itself. Our goal is to never be beaten. We may be outscored, but we hope to never be beaten and are looking forward to the upcoming opportunities to improve this week."
The Black Knights return to action on Tuesday evening when they host Santa Clara at Gillis Field House. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen live on Knight Vision.
