Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
4-2,0-0Patriot
Binghamton
1-6,0-0America East
Volleyball Brings Down Bearcats to Finish Black Knights Invitational
September 07, 2025 | Volleyball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point Volleyball (4-2) ended the Black Knights Invitational at Gillis Field House on a strong note, bringing down the Binghamton University Bearcats (1-6), 3-1.
The match was tightly contested, with the first three sets ending with only a two-point margin. Army took the first set 25-23 before Binghamton tied the match in set two at 27-25.
Army would win the third set with an identical score at 25-23, then took over the fourth set, earning a 25-21 win to take the match.
With the win, Army claimed a second-place finish at the Black Knights Invitational, following a five-set loss to Hofstra on Friday and a 3-1 victory against Rider on Saturday.
Match Recap
Army opened strong with Breelyn Bender and Tatum Grimes adding kills early, while Juliette Myrick added a kill of her own to keep pace early. After trading blows through 10–10, Binghamton capitalized on a couple of Army miscues to pull ahead 13-12.
The Black Knights answered back immediately with a 5-2 run, highlighted by Murakami's pair of kills, a service ace from Mackenzie Lynch, and a momentum-shifting block from Grimes and Lynch.
Binghamton then went on a 5-1 run to help grow their lead to 21-16, which eventually stretched out to a 23-19 lead for the Bearcats.
Then Army took over control for the rest of the set, going on a 6-0 run to claim the set.
The run featured two aces from Lynch and a kill from Victoria Kasanganay, then Murakami, then buried a perfectly placed swing from the outside to secure the 25–23 opener, giving Army early control of the match.
The second set turned into the afternoon's most dramatic battle. The game was tied early at 6-6, with Lynch and Bender combining for three kills. Binghamton then responded with a 5–2 run followed by a 4-0 burst of its own, flipping the score to 15–0 in the Bearcats' favor.
The Black Knights then rallied behind Myrick's leadership, as she tallied two kills and distributed seamlessly to Murakami, Grimes, Lynch and Bender, sparking a 4-2 stretch to cut the lead at 19-20.
The two sides were tied, traded points deep into extra play, with Army fending off three Binghamton set points. The Black Knights reached set point at 24-23, but the Bearcats rallied back to take a 27-25 set win, tying the match.
Binghamton continued to push back in the third, forcing Army into its longest defensive stretches. The Bearcats jumped ahead early thanks to a 6-3 opening run, which later stretched to a 10-6 lead.
Army then began to chip away, led by Murakami's three kills and kills from Bender and Grimes, but still faced a 20-16 margin.
The Black Knights, however, regrouped, using Binghamton's errors and a couple of kills to swing the margin from 18-22 to a 24-22 lead for Army.
Lynch sealed the set, putting down two of the final three points to close the frame 25–23 and secure Army a 2-1 match lead.
Similar to the past sets, Binghamton got out to an early lead, this time a 10-4 lead, with only Lynch, Grimes and Myrick tallying kills in the early goings.
The momentum swung back in Army's favor with a 6-0 run featuring two Murakami kills to tie the game at 10-10. Breelyn Bender then added three kills over four rallies to help Army take a 17-14 lead.
Binghamton came back to tie the game at 18-18, but the Army went on a 5-1 run to take a commanding 23-18 lead. On the run, Lynch, Myrick and Kasanganay each added kills. Myrick's floor defense also proved critical down the stretch, as she picked up two key digs to keep rallies alive.
On match point, Myrick connected with Bender for the final swing through the middle, sealing a 25–21 set win and the 3–1 match triumph for the Black Knights.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- The Black Knights hit .316 as a team with 69 kills, their second-highest hitting percentage of the season.
- Five Army players finished with double-digit kills, showing the team's balance:
- Chloe Murakami: 15 kills (.281), 13 digs, two blocks, notching her second double-double of 2025.
- Mackenzie Lynch: 13 kills (.250), 15 digs, two aces, adding another double-double to her season total, including five kills in the second set.
- Juliette Myrick: 12 kills (.417), 33 assists, 11 digs, a true triple-threat performance for her first triple-double of the season.
- Breelyn Bender: 11 kills (.429) with five blocks, including the match-winning kill.
- Tatum Grimes: 10 kills (.217) and two blocks, her first double-digit kill performance of 2025.
- Victoria Kasanganay anchored the defense at the net, recording a team-high six total blocks and adding 7 kills on .353 hitting.
- Annette Lee led the back row with 17 digs, pacing four Black Knights with 10+ digs.
- Army's defense was stout, winning the dig battle 72–60 and holding Binghamton to .209 hitting.
- The Black Knights delivered four decisive scoring runs of 5–0 or better across the match, each time swinging momentum at key moments.
Coach's Corner
"This game and this weekend were progress and a step toward success for sure," said Alma Kovaci Lee. "Comparing last weekend to this weekend, our offense is so much better, and that was definitely the number one priority for us.
"Number one, our hitting percentage was so much better," Kovaci Lee continued, "and number two, we were able to spread the offense and kind of click on all cylinders. We had five people in double digits, and playing spread out can lead to really good hitting and percentages, plus make us hard to beat."
"Ultimately, alongside this win, the weekend was really successful. I would say give props to my coaching staff and everybody who works with our program. There's a lot that goes behind the scenes, and they continue to do a great job to get our program where it needs to go."
Up Next
The Black Knights will head to Smithfield, Rhode Island, for the Bryant Invitational, their final tournament before the start of Patriot League play.
Army's appearance in the Bryant Invitational will begin on Friday, Sept. 12, with a doubleheader, with the Black Knights playing St. Thomas (Minn.) at 10 a.m. ET, followed by Stony Brook directly after at 3 p.m. ET in the Chace Athletic Center.
The tournament will come to a close on Saturday, Sept. 13, when Army takes on tournament host Bryant at 1 p.m. ET.
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.
