WEST POINT, N.Y. –– Cami Herman (Sr., Brookfield, Wis.) and Avery Stowell (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) combined for over half of the kills for the Navy volleyball team in a 3-0 victory (28-26, 25-21, 25-18) by the Mids (13-13) over Army (17-9), Tuesday night at Gillis Field House in West Point.  The match took place in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament.  

The victory by the sixth-seeded Mids over the third-seeded Black Knights advances Navy to Saturday's semifinal round where it will face top-seeded and tournament-host Colgate at 4 p.m.

Navy had lost five-straight road matches to Army dating back to the 2015 season until the Mids won in four sets in this venue 11 days ago.  Additionally, this is the second time and first since 1997 in which Navy swept Army in a match played at West Point.

"I'm really proud of the composure and execution under pressure that this team displayed in a loud, tough gym to play in," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  "Our seniors are exceptional at creating the right mindset in the days and hours leading up to a match.  This was the result of leadership and commitment."

Navy held an early lead of four points (14-10) in set one, but Army soon used a 5-0 run to take a 19-16 lead.  The Mids drew to within 19-18 only to fall behind 23-20.  Back-to-back kills from Stowell made it a one-point difference and result in an Army timeout being called.  The Black Knights recorded a kill on the next play to reach set point with a 24-22 lead.  Army erased one of those points themselves on a service error, then Herman tied the frame at 24-24 with a kill.  

A Navy ball-handling error gave Army another chance to serve for the set.  Herman again knocked down a kill to tie the score at 25-25, then an Army attack error gave the Mids their first chance to serve for the set.  The Black Knights evened the score for the eighth time with a kill.  Jamie Llewellyn (So., Port Deposit, Md.) posted a kill to break the tie and allow Navy to serve for the set for a second time with a 27-26 lead.  This time, the Mids capitalized on the opportunity when Averi Miller (So., Phoenix, Ariz.) and Anna Klemeyer (So., Sarasota, Fla.) combined for a block.

Navy registered 14 kills on 31 attempts in the opening set, and Army tallied 13 kills on 31 swings.  The difference was that the Black Knights had 10 hitting errors and the Mids just seven, which gave the visitors a .226-.097 advantage in hitting percentage.

Set number two was a close one until Navy slowly edged its way out to a 13-9 advantage.  The margin was down to one point at 15-14 when Herman recorded an ace and the tandem of Maggie Bodman (So., Northbrook, Ill.) and Llewellyn combined for a block to return the Navy lead to three points.  After a block by the Black Knights (17-15), two kills by Llewellyn sandwich around an Army bad set pushed the advantage out to 20-15.  

Army quickly chipped away at the deficit and winnowed the margin down to two points at 21-19.  The teams exchanged the next five points, which made the score 24-21 in favor of the Mids.  Llewellyn would record a kill –– her fifth of the frame –– following a serve by Herman to give the Mids the 2-0 advantage.

Once again, the teams had nearly identical hitting statistics in the set.  Navy recorded 13 kills and five errors on 38 attempts (.211) and Army totaled 14 kills and eight errors on 40 attempts (.150).

With its season on the line, Army scored seven of the first 10 points of the third set.  Navy responded just as fast and took a 10-8 lead.  From there, the lead fluctuated between one (11-10) and three points (14-11, 15-12, 16-13 and 17-14).  After Army closed to within 17-15, a 3-0 run consisting of a kill by Klemeyer, a kill by Herman and an Army attack error made the score 20-15.  The closest Army could get to the rest of the way was four points at 20-16, 21-17 and 22-18 before a kill by Herman and back-to-back Navy blocks closed out the set and the match.

For the first time in the match, the hitting numbers showed a stark difference between the teams in the third set.  Navy posted 15 kills and just five errors on 34 attempts (.294) and Army registered eight kills and 10 errors on 32 swings (-.062).   

Herman accounted for five of the 15 kills in the final set as she posted 13 kills –– one shy of her career high –– and one error on 22 attempts for a .545 hitting night.  She also shared the team lead with seven digs.

"Cami was on a mission tonight," said Labrador.  "Army was targeting her on serve receive all night and she never faltered.  Defensively, she was all over the floor and clearly her attacking was the difference in the match tonight."

Stowell posted 12 kills in the match and Llewellyn added nine.

Navy's defense recorded 15 team blocks as Bodman had eight, Klemeyer had seven, Llewellyn had six and Miller had five to go along with her 33 assists.

"We have been working on our blocking structure all season and tonight everyone did a fantastic job of being in front of Army patterns," said Labrador.

Navy defeated Colgate in three sets in a match played in Annapolis early in the league season and the Raiders defeated the Mids in four sets in Hamilton in a match played 10 days ago.

Patriot League Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, Nov. 16 - Quarterfinals (at higher-seeded team)
No. 6 Navy def. No. 3 Army, 3-0 (28-26, 25-21, 25-18)
No. 4 American def. No. 5 Loyola, 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 15-7)
Saturday, Nov. 20 - Semifinals (at Colgate)
No. 6 Navy at No. 1 Colgate (4 p.m.)
No. 3 American vs. No. 2 Lafayette (7 p.m.)
Sunday, Nov. 21 – Final
Semifinal Winners (at Colgate) (4 p.m.)