Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
22-9,11-5Patriot
Colgate (Semifinals)
22-7,15-1Patriot
Army Knocks Off Colgate to Advance to Championship
November 23, 2019 | Volleyball
WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the first time since 2015, the Army West Point volleyball team is heading to the Patriot League Championship after defeating No. 2 Colgate 3-1 on Saturday.
"I think today was about guts," Head Coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "We talked to the team and we said --Â 'how bad do you want this?' and they responded with an amazing effort. The seniors' leadership has been amazing. They didn't want their season to be done and they fought tooth-and-nail to make sure that tonight wasn't their final match."
The first set was a game of runs, with Colgate getting the better of it. After falling into a 5-1 hole, Army was able to even things at five. Colgate then got the score to 13-6 before Army rattled off five straight to make it 13-11. The Black Knights were never able to take the lead though, as Colgate took the first set 25-20.
"In that first set, I think there was a bit of nerves," Kovaci Lee said. "Colgate is a very good team, they are 15-1, and they showed us that we were going to have to fight tonight."
The Black Knights jumped ahead from the start of set two, taking a 10-3 lead early. That lead held throughout the set despite a late push from Colgate. The Raiders cut the lead to 22-20 before Army was able to close the door and win the set 25-21. After hitting .093 in set one, the Cadets hit an impressive .361 in set two.
"The fight that we showed tonight started in that second set," Kovaci Lee added. "The way we responded after the first set was the key to this win."
The third set was a battle from the first point. Army narrowly led the first part of the set with Colgate fighting even several times throughout. Courtney Horace recorded kills on three of Army's first four points of the set. Colgate reversed the trend in the middle of the set, as they held a narrow lead through the middle points. Army would not be denied, again raising their hitting percentage to .364 in the set to claim the point 25-22.
In the fourth, Army and Colgate traded points throughout, with Colgate holding a lead as late as 21-20. But this was Army's night, as the Cadets took five of the final six points to win the match and advance to Sunday's league championship.
"There are so many things that you can point to tonight," Kovaci Lee said. "We served aggressively, we kept them off the net, we keyed on their top hitters, and the girls executed their assignments to a tee. Hannah Presley did a great job of putting the hitters to where they needed to be and that got our offense going."
In her second consecutive start, Presley posted 48 assists, finishing just one short of the career-high 49 she recorded in the quarterfinals against Loyola. Senior Courtney Horace was the team's top offensive threat, leading the way with 16 kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Monica Eckford (13), Allie Strong (11) and Emmy Barnhorst (11) each added double-digit kills. Sydney Morriss led the team with 21 digs in the match.
"I can't say enough about the seniors' effort tonight," Kovaci Lee said. "This victory shows how much they love this team and the culture that they have helped build. Everyone has bought in to the message that they send. This win shows what Army is all about. These warriors had fun tonight and they want to win a championship tomorrow."
Army will take on top-seeded tournament host American at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Bender Arena in Washington D.C.
