Match Information
Lafayette (4-14 / 2-6) at Navy (8-10 / 4-5)
Friday, Oct. 24 • 7 p.m. / Wesley A. Brown Field House • Annapolis, Md.
Series - Navy leads, 53-13 / Patriot League Series - Navy leads, 48-11
Last Match - Navy, 3-0 (Oct. 4, 2025 / Easton, Pa.)
Live Video - ESPN+

Lehigh (9-9 / 3-6) at Navy (8-10 / 4-5)
Saturday, Oct. 25 • 7:30 p.m. / Wesley A. Brown Field House • Annapolis, Md.
Series - Navy leads, 41-32 / Patriot League Series - Navy leads, 33-26
Last Match - Lehigh, 3-1 (Oct. 3, 2025 / Bethlehem, Pa.)
Live Video - ESPN+
Lehigh will play Friday at American before playing Saturday at Navy

This Week
•    Navy returns home for a weekend of matches against Lafayette on Friday (7 p.m.) and Lehigh on Saturday (7:30 p.m.).  
•    ESPN+ will stream the matches, with those links and live statistics found at NavySports.com.

Attending the Matches
•    Only those vehicles driven by someone with a Department of Defense (DoD)-approved identification card will be allowed onto the USNA.
•    Fans without DoD approved vehicle access to the USNA must park outside of The Yard.  The simplest way to do this is to take the free shuttle bus, which begins service one hour prior to the start of the match.
•    The shuttle bus on Friday will depart from and return to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, Md., 21401).  Enter the blue / west parking lot through gate 5 off of Taylor Avenue.  There is a $10 per vehicle parking fee.  The free fan shuttle bus will leave from and return to the Blue Angel jet.  
•    On Saturday, the shuttle bus will depart from and return to the Navy Health Clinic (695 Kinkaid Rd., Annapolis, MD, 21402).  There is no charge to park at the health clinic.
•    Whether a visitor rides the shuttle bus or walks through one of the USNA gates, everyone ages 18 and over must have a valid picture ID (i.e.: State issued driver's license with REAL ID or a government issued passport). Visitors ages 17 and younger who do not have a valid picture ID must be accompanied by an adult. Foreign passports are not permitted for general access.

Last Week
•    The Mids played just one match last week and it was their second match against Bucknell in seven days.  After winning a five-set match Oct. 11 in Annapolis, Navy posted a four-set victory (23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-17) over the Bison Oct. 18 in Lewisburg, Pa.

Navy vs. Lafayette
•    Lafayette enters the match with a 4-14 record this season. This includes a 2-6 record in league matches.
•    Lafayette has tallied a 4-4 record in sets decided by two points –– 2-3 in "overtime" sets –– and a 12-14 record in sets decided by no more than five points.
•    Navy won both 2024 matches against Lafayette, winning in four sets (25-20, 20-25, 25-22, 31-29) in Annapolis and, seven days later, in five sets (25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 19-25, 15-9) in Easton.
•    This season, the Mids won a three-set match (25-22, 25-20, 25-18) over the Leopards Oct. 4 in Easton, Pa.
•    The teams have played nine matches and 36 sets against one another since the start of the 2021 season.  Ten of those sets were decided by two points –– including five "overtime" sets –– and 23 sets were determined by no more than five points.

Navy vs. Lafayette History
All - 53-13 (H - 23-7, R - 24-5, N - 6-1)
Div. 1 - 51-13 (H - 23-7, R - 24-5, N - 4-1)
PL - 48-11 (H - 23-6, R - 24-5, N - 1-0)
PLT - 2-2 (H - 0-1, R - 0-0, N - 2-1)

Navy vs. Lehigh
•    Lehigh has posted a 9-9 record this season prior to its Friday match at American.  This includes a 3-6 record in Patriot League play.
•    The Mountain Hawks have posted a 7-8 record in sets decided by two points –– 3-3 in "overtime" sets –– and an 14-13 record in sets decided by no more than five points.
•    Navy and Lehigh split the 2024 matches played between the teams.  The Mids posted a four-set win (22-25, 25-16, 25-23, 31-29) in Annapolis and the Mountain Hawks won in three sets (25-16, 25-18, 28-26) in Bethlehem.
•    This year, the Mountain Hawks defeated the Mids in four sets (26-24, 20-25, 25-21, 25-17) on Oct. 3 in Bethlehem, Pa.
•    The last six meetings between the teams have included 25 sets.  Of those, eight were determined by two points –– including five "overtime" sets –– 11 were decided by no more than three points and 14 were decided by five or fewer points.

Navy vs. Lehigh History    
All - 41-32 (H - 23-11, R - 13-18, N - 5-3)
Div. 1 - 36-32 (H - 23-11, R - 12-18, N - 1-3)
PL - 33-26 (H - 21-9, R - 12-17, N - 0-0)
PLT - 3-4 (H - 2-0, R - 0-1, N - 1-3)

Best Blocking Teams
•    Navy and Lehigh are tied for first in the Patriot League during the league season with an identical average of 2.44 blocks per set.
•    Individually, Lehigh's Madison McCartney ranks second at 1.26 blocks per set and Navy's Ava Toppin stands third with her average of 1.14 blocks per set.
•    On the full season, Lehigh ranks first at 2.52 blocks per set and Navy ranks third with 2.35 blocks per set.
•    McCartney ranks first overall (1.29 bps) and Toppin ranks second (1.10 bps).

Up Next
•    Navy heads out on the road for matches Oct. 31 at Holy Cross and Nov. 1 at Army.

Toppin Earns Pair of Weekly Awards
•    Ava Toppin received two of the Patriot League's weekly awards on Oct. 14 for her efforts against Colgate and Bucknell.
•    Toppin averaged 2.56 kills and 1.56 blocks per set and hit.442 over the course of the weekend.  She first tallied eight kills, three blocks and a .263 hitting percentage in Navy's close four-set loss to first-place Colgate.  She then produced a career-high 15 kills and one error on 24 attempts for a .583 hitting night and added a career-best 11 blocks the next day in a five-set victory over Bucknell.  Toppin had six kills and no errors on seven attempts in the abbreviated fifth set, which she ended with her final kill of the match.
•    The 11 blocks ties her for third place for the most by a Mid in a match since statistics began being counted with the 1995 season, and was just two shy of tying the school mark of 13.  It also tied her for the Navy mark for the most in a Patriot League match.  Additionally, it established a new Wesley A. Brown Field House record (opened in 2008).

Toppin and Buffum Garner Weekly Nods 
•    Ava Toppin repeated as the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 21 following her eight-block (3-5=8) effort at Bucknell on Oct. 18.
•    Caroline Buffum was tabbed as the league's rookie of the week for her production against the Bison.  Despite not playing in the first set, she tied a career high with 16 kills and added a career-best .560 hitting percentage.
•    Ellen Gundlach was named the rookie of the week on Sept. 2.

Toppin Lately
•    Ava Toppin is averaging 2.75 kills (44 total) and 1.56 blocks per set (26) and hitting .463 (44-6-82) over the last four matches / 16 sets (Oct. 4 at Lafayette through Oct. 18 at Bucknell).
•    She averaged 2.89 kills (26) and 2.11 blocks (19) per set and hit .544 (26-1-46) over the last two matches / nine sets.

First Set Key
•    Navy has compiled a much better match record when it wins the first set than it does when losing the first frame since the start of the 2021 season.
•    The Mids have posted a 52-8 overall record and a 31-6 league record when they win the first set.
•    In contrast, Navy is 10-54 overall and 8-28 in league matches when it drops the opening set.

Defense Wins
•    The team winning the digs statistics has had great success in Navy's matches over the last five seasons.
•    Navy has posted a 44-15 record overall and a 28-11 record in league matches when it grabs more digs than its foes.
•    The Mids are 15-43 overall and 10-22 in league matches when they snare fewer digs.  

Five-Set Matches
•    Navy played 20 five-set matches during the 2022 (8), 2023 (7) and 2024 (5) seasons.  This includes 16 such matches against Patriot League foes during the regular season.
•    Navy also played 20 five-set matches during the rally scoring era (since 2001) over the 2005-07 and 2017-19 seasons.
•    The Mids have played 42 five-set matches under Paco Labrador (since 2018), including four this season.

More Close Sets
•    Navy has already played 11 sets this season (6-5 record) in which the final score has been above the 25-point mark in sets one through four and / or 15 points in set five.
•    The Mids played 12 such "overtime" sets all of last season.
•    Navy also has already played 22 sets decided by two points this year (12-8 record) after it played 23 during the 2024 campaign.

Starting Lineups
•    Navy has used 15 different starting lineups (including the libero) in its 18 matches this season.
•    14 players have started at least one match this year.

Navy in Wes B.
•    The Wesley A. Brown Field House has served as the primary home for the Navy volleyball team since the start of the 2008 season.
•    The Mids have compiled a 95-86 record in the facility, which includes a 46-31 record under head coach Paco Labrador.  
•    Additionally, Navy has registered a 75-50 record in Patriot League regular season matches played in the facility.  The Mids have posted a 36-17 league regular season record under Labrador in the building.
•    The late Lt. Cmdr. Wesley A. Brown ('49) was the first African-American graduate of the USNA.

Double-Doubles
•    Arleigh Hanson registered 10 assist / dig double-doubles during the 2024 season.  That tied her for sixth place for the most by a Mid during a rally scoring season.
•    She then posted double-doubles in each of the three matches at the 2025 season-opening Utah Valley Invite and added another one against Gardner-Webb.
•    Her 14 career assist / dig double-doubles ranks eighth in school history.
•    Fellow setters Isa Boyd and Lainey Feighery also have combined for seven double-doubles this season and 10 in their careers.

Toppin Moving Up Blocks List
•    Ava Toppin is averaging nearly one block per set this season.  That average has allowed her to improve her standing on Navy's career blocks-per-set chart.
•    She ranks fourth at Navy overall and fifth during the rally scoring era with a career average of 0.91 blocks per set.