Balanced Effort Leads to Fifth Straight Army Win

BETHLEHEM, PA. – Army West Point volleyball notched its fifth straight win with a 3-1 victory at Lehigh on Saturday.

After falling in the first set, 25-21, the Black Knights bounced back by winning the next three sets. Army was impressive in the second set, finishing with a match-best .462 hitting percentage while holding Lehigh to a -.037 hitting percentage. Army tied the match at 1-1 after winning the second set, 25-11.

The Black Knights followed by winning the next two sets by an identical score of 25-21.

Army held off Lehigh in the third set. The Black Knights had a 16-8 lead, before the Mountain Hawks trimmed the lead to 19-18. A kill by Savannah Bray started a 5-1 run which halted momentum.

Army used a 5-1 run in the fourth set to pull away. With the score tied at 11-11, a kill by Alyssa Lukasik started the run; Paige Fixemer added a pair of kills during the run. Allanah Cutler and Lukasik combined for the block to end the match.

Julia Johnson led the Black Knights in kills with 11.

Savannah Bray had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs.

Paige Fixemer led Army in points 14.5 after having eight kills and a season-high five aces.

Alyssa Lukasik added eight kills and two blocked solos.

Diana Ethridge picked up her sixth double-double of the season with a team-high 37 assists and chipped in 10.

“I’m Proud of our team’s fight today. I give a lot of credit to Lehigh. They played really well and made us earn our points. Their block was on fire the entire match but especially that first set, but our team stayed calm as we acknowledged their blocking ability and made changes in our offense. After that first set, we were able to attack much better. It is always great to get two wins on the road. Every match matters in our quest for a championship,” said coach Alma Kovaci Lee.