LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Averi Miller neared a triple-double during a 3-0 victory by the Navy volleyball team over Bucknell, Tuesday night at Davis Gym in Lewisburg, Pa., in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament.  The fifth-seeded Mids (18-8) topped the fourth-seeded Bison (15-11), 25-23, 25-19, 25-23, for the team's fourth victory in a span of 10 days.

"I can't say enough about the focus and poise this team brings to the court," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador, whose Mids have posted a 7-3 record in the league tournament during his six seasons.  "Bucknell hit the ball as hard as any team we have seen this season and their crowd really had them going.  We stayed in it and found a surge when we needed it."

Navy is the only team to advance to at least the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament in each of the last seven non-COVID shortened seasons (2016-19, 2021-23).  

The Mids will face top-seeded Colgate Friday at 7 p.m., in Hamilton, N.Y., in the second of two semifinal round matches.  The first match features No. 2 Army playing No. 3 American at 4 p.m.  The Eagles advanced to the weekend with a 3-0 win over No. 6 Loyola this evening.

Colgate and Army received quarterfinal round byes.

Set One
The largest lead for either team was two points, the score was tied 19 times and the lead changed hands on 11 occasions.  

Bucknell scored back-to-back points to take a 22-21 lead.  Anna Klemeyer registered a kill for the Mids to tie the score, then a Bucknell attack error put Navy in front, 23-22.  That led to a Bison timeout.  Klemeyer and Ashley Warren combined for a block after the break, which gave Navy set point, 24-22.  A service error returned the serve to Bucknell, but another Klemeyer kill gave Navy the 1-0 lead.

Set Two
The score was tied at 11-11 when Navy built a 16-12 lead.  A pair of sideouts made the score 17-13.  The Bison scored two points (17-15), the Mids scored two points (19-15) and then Bucknell scored two more points (19-17).  Navy answered with a 3-0 run to take its largest lead of the match at 22-17.  The Mids maintained a lead of at least four points over the remainder of the frame.

Set Three
It was another back-and-forth set as the Mids took a 10-7 lead only to see the Bison take a 14-12 advantage.  Bucknell soon took leads of three points at 16-13 and 17-14 before opening up a 20-15 advantage.  The Bison soon led, 21-17 and then 22-19, at which point Labrador called timeout.

Miller recorded a kill, then a Bucknell attack error made it a one-point difference and led to a timeout being called by the Bison.  Klemeyer and Jamie Llewellyn promptly combined for a block to tie the score at 22-22.  Bucknell answered with a kill to regain the lead at 23-22, but Jamie Llewellyn and Klemeyer responded with back-to-back kills to give the Mids the chance to serve for the match at 24-23.  Navy closed out the 91-minute match on a kill from Warren.

Statistical Notes
This was the first Navy vs. Bucknell tournament match since 1996.

Navy had slightly more kills than Bucknell, 42-40, but had eight fewer attack errors, 20-12, to finish with a .238-.179 advantage in hitting percentage. Defensively, the Mids held an 8-5 edge in blocks and the Bison held a 59-45 advantage in digs.  Each team recorded five aces and seven service errors.

Miller finished the match with 21 assists, a career-high tying eight kills, a .467 hitting percentage and eight digs.

"Averi was all over the court hitting, setting digging and serving," said Labrador.  "This was one of the most complete matches of her career.

Jamie Llewellyn totaled 19 kills and six digs, Jordan Llewellyn posted 12 digs and eight kills and Klemeyer registered seven kills and four blocks.  Hannah Hoover also scooped up 10 digs while Arleigh Hanson tallied 14 assists and two aces.

Up Next
Navy and Colgate have played three-straight five-set matches dating back to the championship match of the 2022 Patriot League Tournament.  The Raiders have won each of those three matches.