WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Lafayette College volleyball team avenged its earlier loss this season to Army in four sets (25-22, 19-25, 27-25, 25-22) Saturday evening behind senior Leanna Deegan's 23 kills.
 
The win marked the program's first over the Black Knights since 1995.
 
The Leopards got off to a quick start, never trailing in the first set, but not without fighting off multiple Army ambushes. A kill by Deegan made it 11-6, but the Black Knights proceeded to score the next three and seven of the next nine points to tie the set at 13.
 
Lafayette made a run of its own and got to a 22-16 advantage before a 5-0 Army run helped the Black Knights get within one at 23-22.
 
Deegan put down the final point in the first after an Army service error. Deegan totaled 23 kills with eight digs in the match.
 
The Black Knights used a pair of early 4-0 runs to take momentum in the second and never look back. That momentum carried into the third set, jumping out to a 20-14 lead before the Leopards managed a quick 3-0 outburst followed shortly after by a 4-0 run to make it 23-22 in the third.
 
Sophomore Gracie Gibson was large at the net all night long and had the solo rejection to close out the third. She had eight kills with four blocks in the match.
 
Lafayette followed Army's 3-0 run to open the fourth set with a 5-0 outburst to steal momentum. Senior Madi Wahrmnund put down the match-clinching kill to close out the match and split the season series with the Black Knights.
 
Junior Grace Steurer had 24 digs and sophomore Katie Weston had 22. Sophomore Alyssa Vitale had 51 assists and senior Grace Tulevech added 10 kills.
 
The Leopards return to College Hill next weekend for a pair of contests against Holy Cross and Colgate on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.