Army Pushes West Virginia to Five Sets

WEST POINT – The Army West Point volleyball team fell to West Virginia in a close five sets Friday night in its first match of the Black Knights Invitational.

The Black Knights won the first and third set, but the Mountaineers claimed the other three to win the match. Carolyn Bockrath led Army with a season-high 22 kills and a .364 hitting percentage.Amber Clay notched 16 kills and Amber Clay had 11 along with 14 digs. Vanessa Wesley recorded nine kills and four block assists in the match. Haven Bethune controlled Army’s offense with 36 assists and was followed by Lum who posted 22. Ana Oglivie led the team with 28 digs and four service aces, and Ellie Petersen also had double-digits with 10.

West Virginia narrowly led with 67 kills to Army’s 66 and had 66 assists to the Black Knights’ 63. Army held an 80-72 advantage on blocks however and a 10-5 lead in service aces.

Set One (25-21 Army)

The Black Knights jumped ahead early fueled by a 5-0 run with Oglivie at the serve. Oglivie notched all four of her service aces in the first set. Bockrath hit .571 in the set and had four kills to lead the Cadets.

Set Two (25-19 Wvu)

The Mountaineers boasted a .250 hitting percentage in the set compared to Army’s .125. Clay stepped up with four kills and a dig, but West Virginia’s Payton Caffrey’s five kills helped the team top Army 25-19.

Set Three (35-33 Army)

Army was back on top in the marathon of all sets so far this season. Bockrath led both sides with nine kills in the third on 15 attempts.Bethune recorded 12 assists to help Army top West Virginia. As a team, the Black Knights recorded six block assists in the set.

Set Four (25-21 Wvu)

The Mountaineers started off the set with four straight blocks to dislodge Army’s momentum from set three. West Virginia hit .379 in the fourth, while the Black Knights struggled at .189.Bockrath and Bethune continued to work in tandem with seven kills and 13 assists from the pair.

Set Five (15-11 Wvu)

West Virginia stepped out to a 5-1 lead before a quick run by the Black Knights evened the score in the final set. The Mountaineers maintained their composure however and extended their lead to clinch the match. Strong and Bockrath each posted two kills in the final set.