Defense Drives Army Past Holy Cross

Friday, November 3

West Point, NY

7 PM

Army West Point

17-9, 10-3PL

Holy Cross

4-22, 1-12PL

Holy Cross

Army

Defense Drives Army Past Holy Cross

November 03, 2017 | Volleyball

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point volleyball team used a resilient defensive effort in the final two sets to claim a 3-1 victory over Holy Cross on Friday evening at Gillis Field House.

The Black Knights improved to 17-9 overall and 10-3 in Patriot League play, while the Crusaders dropped to 4-22 on the year and 1-12 in league play.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND MATCH NOTES

Army won its 10th match of the season at the friendly confines of Gillis Field House.
The Black Knights held an opponent to under a .100 hitting percentage for the fifth time this year.
Amber Clay tallied 14 digs for her 12th double-digit performance of the season and fifth in the last six matches.
Allie Strong recorded 15 kills and 11 digs for her fourth double-double of 2017.
Haven Bethune documented 40 assists in the contest, marking the fifth time in the last six matches the sophomore has eclipsed the mark.
Carolyn Bockrath posted 12 kills for her 14th match with double-digit kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE (25-21 ARMY)

The Black Knights sprinted out of the gate with a 5-1 run to begin the game.
Bockrath earned a kill that pushed Army's lead to 9-3, forcing Holy Cross to use its first timeout.
Morris led Army with four kills in the opening set.
The two squads were strong defensively as they hit .071 and .100, respectively.

SET TWO (25-22 HOLY CROSS)

The Crusaders managed to chip away at the Black Knights and outlast the home squad to even the match up at one set apiece.
Army held a lead for much of the set, but Holy Cross worked back from a 13-8 deficit to tie the score at 16.
There were seven ties and eight lead changes in the frame.

SET THREE (25-12 ARMY)

After the extended break, Army jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, led by Bethune who had two aces and two assists in the rally.
Army's offense came alive in the third set, hitting .625 with 16 kills on 24 attempts and just one error.
Clay and Strong played a major role in the surge with five kills each in the stanza.

SET FOUR (25-10 ARMY)

Army's defense continued its resurgence in the fourth frame by allowing the fewest points in a single set in 2017.
The two squads traded points early in the set with the score tied at three apiece.
Bockrath spiked a kill after a long rally to make it 10-4 during an 8-2 run for the Black Knights.
That gave the home team an 11-5 advantage.
The Black Knights followed that up with a 10-4 run to extend their lead to 21-9 before eventually capturing the final set in the win.

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