Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
7-4,1-1Patriot
American
8-4,1-1Patriot
Volleyball Sees Four-Set Loss at American
September 20, 2025 | Volleyball
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Army West Point volleyball (7-4, 1-1) faced its first loss on Patriot League play on the road, falling to the American University Eagles (7-5, 0-1), 1-3.
Initially, the Black Knights got out to a fast start, claiming a 25-20 set one win to gain an early 1-0 match lead.
But the home team rallied back, stopping Army in their tracks, winning the next three consecutive sets 25-22, 25-15 and 25-9, giving Army its first loss in league play.
Match Recap
Army came out sharp with Juliette Myrick firing off a service ace on the first point. Mackenzie Lynch and Chloe Murakami quickly found rhythm at the net, combining with solid setting from Myrick to build an early cushion.
Army's block, led by Marin Harvey and Breelyn Bender, stopped American's attackers, forcing multiple errors.
Naomi Chinchar and Norah Shattan provided energy off the bench, each helping Army side out and continue momentum. Myrick set up Lynch for back-to-back kills as Army surged to a 13–8 lead.
American made a small push midway, but Army answered with kills from Murakami, Harvey, and Lynch.
Down the stretch, Myrick not only distributed but also chipped in offensively, recording a kill herself before Bender finished the set off with a kill. Army took the opener, 25–20, giving Army a 1-0 match lead.
Army kept its foot on the gas early in set two. Murakami opened with a kill, followed by Lynch punishing American at the net.
A Stroud service ace stretched the lead to 5–1, and then Chinchar entered to spark a three-point run that included a kill and an ace. Ashli Alcala-Romero added an ace and assisted on a Lynch kill as Army led 13–7.
But American responded. A string of errors, plus key kills swung momentum. Army fought back with Murakami and Myrick kills, but service errors and miscues late hurt. Despite a late push, Army dropped the second set, 22–25, as American capitalized on Army's mistakes.
The third set turned into a grind. Early on, Lynch and Murakami scored kills to keep Army in step, and Parker and Bender chipped in with strong swings.
However, Army struggled in serve-receive, and American took advantage with a run of points.
Murakami did her best to rally Army with consecutive kills, and Lynch added a block/kill sequence to close the gap.
Even with subs like Kennedy Jones and Kealakai Bandy entering to provide depth, Army couldn't string together a sustained run. American pulled ahead on back-to-back kills and secured the frame, 25–15, putting Army down 2–1.
Army needed a response but found itself on the back foot. American raced out to an 8–1 lead.
Army's offense sputtered, giving up errors before finally breaking through with a kill from Michelle Parker.
Lynch and Blackburn tallied kills to stop the bleeding, and Shattan and Alcala-Romero provided late sparks.
Despite the effort, Army could not dig out of the early deficit. American closed it out with dominate performance at the net, powering the final points, taking the fourth set 25–9 and the match 3–1.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Chloe Murakami led the Black Knights' offense for the second consecutive game, finishing with a team high 12 kills.
- Michelle Parker finished hitting .429 in the match for seven kills while adding a team-high three blocks.
- Five cadet-athletes knocked aces for Army, with Ashli Alcala-Romero, Juliette Myrick, Naomi Chinchar and Nicole Stroud each adding one.
- Four Black Knights finished the afternoon with 10+ digs: Juliette Myrich (14), Nicole Stroud (13), Mackenzie Lynch (11) and Chloe Murakami (11)
- Myrick and Chinchar shared distribution duties, adding 17 and 14 assists, respectively.
- Despite hitting .306 in set one, Army finished the day hitting .108 from the floor while the Eagles hit .243 percent.
- American held the advantage over Army in kills (49-42), aces (10-4), blocks (10-5) and digs (70-61).
Up Next
The Black Knights return to Gillis Field House to open up Patriot League play at home, with matchups against the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks and the Lafayette College Leopards.
The match against Lehigh on Friday, September 26, is slated for a 7 p.m. ET first serve. The next day, Saturday, Sept. 27, Army will take on the Leopards in West Point at 4 p.m. ET.
For fans who can't make it to West Point., the matches will also stream live on ESPN+.
Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point women's volleyball, follow the Black Knights on X and Instagram at @ArmyWP_VB and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com
