Nov. 20, 2011

Final Stats

Photo Gallery

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Despite a valiant effort late in the match, the Army volleyball team fell short (3-1) of the 2011 Patriot League title on Sunday afternoon at American's Bender Arena. All four sets were decided by a 25-21 score with the Eagles taking three of them. No. 2 Army's lone victory came in the fourth, as No. 1 American defended its title and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Junior Ariana Mankus and sophomore Margaux Jarka paced the Black Knights with 19 and 16 kills, respectively. Seven of Mankus' kills came in the fourth set, while Jarka's .343 hitting percentage led the team. Mankus completed the double-double with 11 digs, as did freshman setter Mary Vaccaro (44 assists, 12 digs).

Based on the semifinal and championship rounds, Jarka and senior co-captain Rachel Willis earned All-Tournament Team plaudits. Army ended the season with a 23-8 recorded and collected the runner-up trophy.

In rematch of the 2009 Patriot League title bout, the match featured 30 ties and 12 lead changes and took just under two hours to complete.

"We played with integrity today and I'm so proud of the way we came to play and left it all on the line," said head coach Alma Kovaci. "Give American credit. They came to play and deserved it in the end. But I'm still so proud of the team, the staff and everyone involved. It was a great run, but we just came up short in the end."

American scored four of the first five points of set one, but the Black Knights bounced back to tie the score (6-6) after a pair of consecutive kills from Wilton and Willis out of the middle. The Eagles later broke an 8-8 tie with a quick 5-0 run to jump ahead, 13-8, as Kovaci called timeout. Her team responded with five-straight points and tied the set again (13-13). The Eagles began to pull away at that point, using an 8-3 run to establish a 21-16 edge. The Black Knights did not go away, however, as a back row kill from Mankus and another from junior Francine Vasquez pulled Army within 23-21.

The teams traded points to open set two and were tied 9-9 before the Eagles used a 6-3 run to go on top 15-12 midway through. The Eagles continued to hold a three-point lead from there. The Black Knights showed fight in the end, foiling AU's set point three times before bowing 25-21.

The Eagles opened a 5-2 lead to start the third set. Army hung tough, pulling within 7-6 after a solo block courtesy of senior co-captain Fabiola Castro. The Black Knights' block edged them within one again (9-8) just a couple points later, as Army stayed right on American's heels through a handful of exceptionally long rallies. A Vaccaro/Wilton double-block leveled the score (11-11) for the first time since the early going, and Army took its first lead of the set (12-11). The lead continued to seesaw through the meat of the third frame, but the Black Knights continued to hold the edge. Jarka's untouched kill ended the frame and finished off Army's only win (25-21).

The teams battled point-for-point to start the fourth set. The teams played through six ties before the Black Knights took a 9-7 lead after Willis and Jarka teamed for a double-block on the outside. American retaliated with a 6-1 run and retook the lead (13-10). Mankus came alive on offense with the match on the line, producing five kills to help get the Black Knights tie the match at 19-19 and again at 20-20. American's Sara Rishell, named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, came up with two kills to highlight a 5-1 match-ending run for the Eagles.

American's Juliana Crum led the Eagles with 15 kills, while Rebecca Heath and Rischell added 12 and 11 kills, respectively.

Willis and co-captain Fabiola Castro played their final matches on Sunday. The pair authored a 92-32 record, including three 20-win seasons, during four years at West Point.