Army Volleyball Falls to American 3-0 in Patriot League Championship

Lynch, Murakami Earn All-Tournament Honors as Black Knights’ Season Ends in Nation’s Capital

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Army West Point volleyball’s season came to an end Sunday afternoon at Bender Arena, falling to top-seeded American University 3-0 (17-25, 12-25, 18-25) in the Patriot League Championship.

Despite the loss, the Black Knights (19-9, 11-5 Patriot League) saw two players honored on the Patriot League All-Tournament Team. Senior outside hitters Mackenzie Lynch and Chloe Murakami both earned the distinction after leading Army to back-to-back championship appearances.

The Eagles (24-4, 15-1 Patriot League) claimed their first Patriot League title since 2019 in front of 488 fans, using dominant front-row pressure and consistent side-out rhythm to sweep the Black Knights for the second time this season.

First Set: Army Shows Early Fight Before Eagles Pull Away

Army opened the match with steady offense and competitive energy. Murakami delivered a key service ace at 7-11 that sparked a brief run, and Army’s block produced several important point-saving touches to keep the Black Knights within striking distance.

Juliette Myrick and Lynch connected well in transition, with Myrick posting a strong kill to close the gap to 15-17. However, American’s front-row pressure and timely blocking created separation late in the set.

Despite solid ball control and several well-placed swings from Lynch, Army couldn’t slow the Eagles’ 8-2 finishing surge and dropped the opening set 25-17.

Army hit .129 in the first set with 10 kills on 31 attempts, while American posted a .481 hitting percentage with 16 kills on 27 swings.

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Second Set: Black Knights Battle Early Before Eagles Take Control

Army came out aggressive in the second set, trading leads early and taking advantages at 4-3, 5-4, and tying at 7-7. Naomi Chinchar added a sharp service ace to tie the frame at 4-4, and Army’s offense flowed smoothly with Myrick distributing effectively.

Lynch contributed solid swings to keep the Cadets in range at 10-17, but mid-set serve-receive pressure from American created a decisive run that broke the frame open.

Army showed resilience with late kills from Lynch and momentarily slowed the momentum with a Murakami-to-Lynch connection, but American’s consistent side-out rhythm closed the set 25-12.

Army’s hitting percentage dropped to .036 in the second set, managing just seven kills on 28 attempts. American hit .700 with 15 kills on 20 swings.

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Third Set: Murakami Leads Final Push, But Eagles Close Out Championship

Army opened the third set with steady ball control, as Murakami and Myrick established strong setter-hitter rhythm. A kill from Murakami kept the Black Knights within a point at 7-8, and Myrick added a clean kill shortly afterward to keep Army in the chase.

As the set progressed, Murakami became Army’s most reliable offensive engine, assisting and finishing points during a stretch that included contributions from Norah Shattan and Corrine Blackburn.

Army’s defensive touches improved mid-set, and a pair of American attack errors brought the Black Knights back within 12-15.

American answered with a serving run, but Army responded with back-to-back kills from Murakami and Lynch, with Myrick setting in rhythm.

Army made a final push late: Lynch delivered kills to bring the Cadets to 15 and 16 points, and Murakami’s well-placed service ace tightened the score to 18-24. However, American converted the final swing to take the set 25-18 and secure the championship.

Army hit .129 in the third set with 11 kills, while American finished at .435 with 11 kills on 23 attempts.

Murakami, Lynch Lead Army’s Offensive Effort

Chloe Murakami led Army with 10 kills on 23 attempts for a .217 hitting percentage. The senior outside hitter added two assists, two service aces, and five digs, finishing with a team-high 12.0 points.

Mackenzie Lynch scored eight kills and hit .130 on 23 swings, while adding three digs and finishing with 8.0 total points.

Juliette Myrick posted three kills and 13 assists, while also contributing two blocks and three digs. She totaled 4.0 points in the match.

Naomi Chinchar recorded eight assists, one service ace, and two digs while playing in all three sets. She finished with 1.0 points.

Michelle Parker delivered three kills on 12 attempts and added two blocks, ending the match with 4.0 total points.

Nicole Stroud tallied two assists, three digs, and one reception error while playing back-row minutes.

Janie Deapen added three kills, hit .111, and contributed one block and two digs. She totaled 3.5 points for the Black Knights.

Army recorded 28 kills on 90 total attacks and hit .100 for the match. The Black Knights tallied 25 total assists, led by Myrick’s 13 and Chinchar’s eight. Army posted six block assists and collected 20 digs overall.

American Dominates at the Net

American’s offense was led by Prinzez Zeck, who posted 11 kills on 11 errorless attempts for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage. Zeck finished with 12.5 points, including one block solo and one block assist.

Elise Sterling added eight kills on 11 attempts (.545) and totaled 12.0 points with one block solo and four block assists.

Salme Adeele Hollas contributed eight kills on 22 attempts (.364) and finished with 8.5 points, while Sophie Dufouradded seven kills and 9.5 points with two service aces.

Deniz Dakak ran American’s offense with 29 assists and added two kills on two errorless attempts. Carly Sciborski led the Eagles’ defense with five kills on six attempts (.833) and four digs.

American hit .529 for the match with 42 kills on 70 attempts and just five errors. The Eagles posted 36 assists, eight service aces, and 33 digs.

Recapping the 2025 Season

With the loss, the Black Knights’ 2025 season comes to a close with a final record of 19-9 overall and 11-5 in Patriot League play.

Army finished 6-3 in non-conference play, going 2-1 in every tournament they participated in for second-place finishes. Their non-conference victories included wins over Akron (3-0), Green Bay (3-2), Rider (3-1), Binghamton (3-1), Stony Brook (3-1), and Bryant (3-1).

The Black Knights finished Patriot League play 11-5, good for third place in the final league standings. Army swept the season series with four Patriot League opponents: Loyola Maryland, Holy Cross, Navy, and Lafayette.

Star Match Victory Over Navy

The Black Knights and Midshipmen renewed their rivalry on Sept. 19 for the 44th annual Star Match as part of the Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA. Army defeated Navy in four sets at Wesley Brown Field House.

Navy claimed the first set 25-23, but Army stormed back to take the next three sets 25-20, 25-14, and 25-22 for the 3-1 victory.

Three Black Knights Earn All-League Honors

At the end of the regular season, Army saw three players earn spots on the 2025 Patriot League All-League Volleyball Teams.

Mackenzie Lynch and Chloe Murakami earned spots on the All-League First Team, while Juliette Myrick was placed on the All-League Second Team.

Postseason Run to Championship

In the Patriot League Tournament, the Black Knights made a run to the Patriot League Championship for the second straight season.

Army started their postseason run with a 3-0 sweep at home in Gillis Field House against No. 6 Lehigh University.

In the semifinal round, the Black Knights avenged their 2024 championship game loss by defeating No. 2 seed Colgate University 3-2 in a thrilling five-set victory. The win sent Army to its second consecutive Patriot League Championship.

The Black Knights fell to American in the championship match 0-3, but Lynch and Murakami both earned Patriot League All-Tournament Team honors for their outstanding performances throughout the tournament.

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