ANNAPOLIS, Md. --
Paige Buzzerio, who had entered the match with nine kills this season, recorded 16 to pace the Navy offense as the team consistently rallied to post a five-set victory over Army Saturday afternoon at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis. The Mids (8-9, 6-3) edged the Black Knights (10-8, 4-5), 19-25, 27-25, 18-25, 26-24, 16-14, in a match lasting a few minutes shy of three hours.
"Both teams played their hearts out," said Navy head coach
Paco Labrador, who with eight career wins against Army is now tied for the most wins by a Navy coach in the series (Mike Schwob). "You would expect nothing less from two Academy teams. Army was all over the court and made our hitters really hunt for ways to score points.
"The crowd was electric today. We always feel the love from the Annapolis community."
Today's match came one week and one day after the Mids defeated the Black Knights at Army in the annual Star Match, thus giving Navy its first regular season series sweep since 2021. Additionally, six of the last 10 matches in the series have now gone to five sets, with 12 of the 45 sets played in this span being determined by just two points. Five of Navy's six set wins against Army this season were by the minimum of two points.
Set One
It was has become typical for the Mids this season, they struggled in the opening set and had as many kills as attack errors (7). In contrast, Army jumped out to an 8-1 lead and was never really threatened thanks to its 14 kills and just 5 attack errors.
Navy fell to 1-8 in the first set of its nine league matches this fall.
Set Two
Army held a slim 7-5 lead at the start of the second set before Navy ran off the next five points on its way to a 10-2 run that gave it a 15-9 advantage. The lead soon grew to 19-14 and then 22-15, but then the spool of thread slowly started to unravel for the Mids. The Black Knights cut the margin down to 22-18 before a Navy kill and an Army attack error pushed it back to 24-18 and gave the Mids the chance to serve for the set. A service error ended the opportunity before it began, and that was followed by an Army kill, a block, an ace, a kill and a Navy attack error, which tied the score at 24-24.
A service error ended the 6-0 run and gave Navy another chance to serve for the set at 25-24. An Army kill tied the set for the eighth time at 25-25. Navy regained a 26-25 lead after an attack error by Buzzerio was challenged by Navy and overturned into a kill.
Hailey Jacobus served for the set for the Mids and her offering went off of an Army passer and over the net where a waiting Buzzerio banged it back over the net, but she was ruled for being into the net and the score was instead tied. However, Navy challenged again and the video review again went the way of the Mids to even the proceedings at one set each.
Set Three
Just as in the first set, Army took a big early lead at the start of the third frame, this time a 6-0 cushion, and maintained a fairly comfortable lead over the remainder of the set.
Set Four
For the third time in four sets, Army had a great start to the frame as it took a 5-0 and 7-1 lead. The Black Knights soon built a 15-9 lead when the Mids started to chip away and drew to within three points at 19-16. It then was a 22-18 Army lead when Navy scored four-straight points on a kill from Eike, a pair of aces from
Amara Chambers and an Army attack error.
A Navy service error gave Army a 23-22 lead, but a kill from Eike and an Army attack error took the Mids to set point with a 24-23 lead. The Black Knights erased the point against it with a kill (24-24), but a kill from Eike and a kill by Jacobus sent the teams to a fifth set.
Set Five
The score would be tied nine time but the lead changed hands only twice in the abbreviated fifth set. The largest lead for either team was one point until a 3-0 run by Navy gave it a 10-7 advantage. The teams traded sideouts until Army made it a one-point difference at 12-11. An Army service error made the score 13-11 in favor of the Mids, but Army scored on back-to-back kills and an ace to reach match point with a 14-13 lead.
Navy had trailed Army 24-21 in the fourth set of last week's Star Match before it closed the set and the match with a 5-0 run. Needing the same late spurt today, a kill from Eike tied the score at 14-14.
Eike dropped back to serve the ensuing point. Army handled her effort with a good attack, but the Mids dug the ball and
Kinamoni Jerome fed Buzzerio on the left side. She rifled the ball back to the middle of the court and in between several lunging Black Knights to give the Mids the opportunity to serve for the match.
Eike again served and again Army had a good swing on the ball. Eike recorded the dig, but this time she could not corral the ball cleaning and it went sailing back to the middle of the floor where Army's middle hitter was waiting. Perhaps a bit to anxious, her swing that led to the ball being dropped onto the Navy side of the court included her going into the net and thereby being whistled for a blocking error that gave Eike a kill and Navy the match-clinching point.
Statistical Summary
Army led Navy in kills, hitting percentage, assists, aces and digs during last week's 13-25, 26-24, 25-18, 26-24 win by the Mids. Today's final box score was very similar to that one as the Black Knights led in kills (64-51), hitting percentage (.167-.140), assists (60-48), aces (8-7) and digs (78-71). However, the Mids held a 14-7 advantage in blocks this evening.
Buzzerio played in only one full match during the 2025 campaign as she suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through the second match of her sophomore season. She has played sparingly this year and didn't even play in the first set of today's match. Her 16 kills against the Black Knights was one shy of tying her career high of 17, which she had set in the 2025 opening match against Boise State.
"Paige did an incredible job of changing the game with steady ball control (no receiving errors on 14 offerings) and smart attacking," said Labrador.
Buzzerio, who added 6 digs and 2 blocks in her four sets, was joined in double figures by Eike who finished with 13 kills, 10 digs and 5 blocks. Leading the Navy passers was Chambers with 22 digs, while setter
Isa Boyd added 14 digs to her 17 assists.
Siena Morgan was the team's top blocker with 8, and Jerome had a very productive statistical line of 20 assists and 3 aces.
Up Next
Navy's four-match homestand concludes with matches Friday against Holy Cross and Saturday against Colgate.
"We will rest up and get back to work this week for a tough Holy Cross and Colgate weekend," said Labrador.
