Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
22-10,11-5Patriot
American University (Championship)
24-7,15-1Patriot
Black Knights Fall to American in Patriot League Finals
November 24, 2019 | Volleyball
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Army West Point volleyball team closed out its season in a 3-1 loss in the Patriot League Championship against American on Saturday.
"I am so proud of this group and how they competed today," Head Coach Alma Kovaci Lee said. "We played tough, we represented West Point well and we put up a fight. I think this was American's best match. They are a big team that clicked on all cylinders today."
The top-seeded Eagles relied on their strong front-line throughout the match, recording 16 blocks and outhitting the Black Knights .263-.155 in the contest.
American was in control throughout the first set, jumping out to an early lead that Army could not overcome. The Eagles outhit Army .300 to .028 in the frame while recording seven total blocks.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair with both teams holding leads of at least three points in the late portions of the set. After the frame was tied at 16, American was able to jump out to a 21-18 lead. Army then rattled off six consecutive points to get to set point and eventually close out the set 25-22 to even the match.
Army led for most of the third set, jumping out to a 15-9 lead midway through. With Army up 21-15, American won 10 of the final 11 points to win the set 25-22.
The fourth set was highly contested early, with even scores at 5-5, 7-7 and 9-9. But American gained control of the set, hitting a match best .359 in the final frame to close Army out 25-16 and claim the league title.
"We had our moments in this one for sure," Kovaci Lee said. "In that third set, we had a lead, but great teams fight back and American showed that they are a great team. We fought back in the second set, so we have to be proud of how we fought as well."
Courtney Horace and Monica Eckford led the Black Knights offense with 13 and 12 kills apiece. Hannah Presley recorded her third consecutive 40 assist match with 43. Presley recorded a double-double in the contest as she was one of four Cadets to reach double-digit digs. For American, setter Olivia Wassner was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. She recorded 25 assists in the match. Two Black Knights were honored on the All-Tournament team as Horace and libero Ana Oglivie received recognition for their strong play in Army's three postseason contests. They joined Wassner, Helena Elbaek and Jeanne Westney from American, Alli Lowe from Colgate and Paige Miles from Navy on the team.Â
Army's second place finish is the programs' best since the 2015 season when they also finished in second place.Â
"The team is already fired up about the future," Kovaci Lee said. "It's great to be able to be here and feel what success feels like. Nobody wanted the season to end, but now we know what we have to fight for next season."Â
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