WEST POINT, N.Y. – Down 2-0 in the match, the Army West Point volleyball team rallied to win the next three sets to earn a thrilling victory over Navy Saturday night in Gillis Field House.
The Black Knights earned the win over the top-ranked Midshipmen who had been undefeated in Patriot League play before tonight.
ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND MATCH NOTES
- Haven Bethune controlled Army's offence with a career-high 66 assists. She also added 13 digs to post her first double-double of the season.
- Carolyn Bockrath led the Cadets' offense with a 23 kill performance with just two errors on the night. She boasted a .404 and added eight digs.
- Courtney Horace notched a career-high 17 kills and Sydney Morriss added 15 and a team-leading three block assists.
- Ellie Petersen also had a career-high night with 40 digs and four assists. Allie Strong had 20 digs on the night, while Amber Clay had 14 and Maggie Petersen had 12.
- The Black Knights led in kills (84-67), hitting percentage (.273-.228), assists (78-58) and digs (116-107).
Check back for the full recap.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE (25-20 Navy)
- The Midshipmen set the tone of the set early when they came out to a 3-0 advantage.
- Navy out-hit Army .278-.256 in the set that remained close until the 15th point.
- Bockrath had five kills in the set, while Vanessa Wesley and Morriss each had two.
SET TWO (25-20 Navy)
- The second set mimicked the first. Army and Navy were tied at 14-all and the Black Knights gained the point to force the media timeout, but afterwards the Midshipmen would go onto their run to win.
- Bockrath continued to excel with six kills.
- Bethune produced a 15 assist set, while E. Petersen had nine digs.
SET THREE (25-21 Army)
- After the break, Army came strong out of the gate and controlled the third set to stay alive.
- Bethune paced the Black Knights' offense with 16 assists, six of them going to Bockrath who hit .600 in the set.
- Horace also garnered six kills as Morriss added three.
SET FOUR (34-32 Army)
- Used to the marathon sets, the Black Knights persevered once again in extra points.
- Army tied the set at 24-all and went ahead 25-24 with back-to-back kills from Morriss and Strong.
- There were 12 total tie scores in the set, but Army pulled away in the end when Morriss garnered a kill before a Navy error to force the fifth set.
- Morriss tallied seven kills in the set and Horace added five.
- Bethune boasted 22 assists.
SET FIVE (15-12 Army)
- Navy had the upper hand for a majority of the set, but Army took control to gain the eighth point first and continued to cruise towards victory.
- The Black Knights trailed the Midshipmen 12-11 in the final set, but a 4-0 run by Army would seal its fate.
- Bockrath slammed down an open ball at the net to clinch the match for Army. She totaled three kills in the set along with three from Rachel Gearon.
UP NEXT
- The Black Knights will host Lafayette and Bucknell next Friday and Saturday night. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m.
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