Navy Volleyball’s Furious Rally Falls Short in Five-Set Season Opener Against Indiana State
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Navy volleyball showed plenty of fight in its first match of the 2026 season, but a pair of dramatic comebacks were not enough to get the Midshipmen past Indiana State.
The Midshipmen rallied from a seven-point deficit late in the fourth set to force a deciding fifth frame and nearly erased another five-point hole in the finale before Indiana State escaped with a 3-2 victory Friday at the Western Michigan Tournament.
Indiana State won the match 19-25, 25-20, 26-24, 23-25 and 15-12. The season opener lasted approximately two and a half hours and dropped Navy to 0-1 while Indiana State began its campaign 1-0.
Navy Starts Strong
Navy came out looking comfortable in the opening set.
After the teams traded points early, the Midshipmen turned a 10-9 advantage into a 15-11 lead and eventually stretched the margin to 21-14.
Indiana State responded with five consecutive points to make it 21-19, but Navy steadied itself. Caroline Buffum recorded a kill before Farrah Eike took over down the stretch with a solo block and consecutive kills as Navy secured the first set, 25-19.
Indiana State responded in the second.
The Sycamores built leads of 9-4 and 14-7 before extending the margin to 19-9. Navy refused to fold and put together a substantial comeback, pulling within 20-18.
Indiana State stopped the rally, however, scoring three consecutive points and ultimately taking the set 25-20 to even the match.
Third Set Slips Away
The third set may have been Navy’s biggest missed opportunity of the afternoon.
Navy controlled much of the frame and held a 22-18 advantage late. Indiana State suddenly turned the set around with five straight points, moving ahead 23-22.
Grace Burgoyne answered with a kill to tie it, and after Indiana State reached set point, freshman Hailey Jacobus delivered a kill to make it 24-24.
Navy could not finish the comeback. An attack error followed by an Indiana State kill gave the Sycamores a 26-24 victory and a 2-1 match lead.
Midshipmen Refuse to Quit
Navy’s response in the fourth set was the most encouraging part of the match.
Indiana State appeared to have the match under control after opening a 16-6 advantage and later leading 22-15.
Instead, Navy produced a remarkable rally.
An Indiana State attack error returned serve to the Midshipmen. Navy followed with an ace, block and kill before three consecutive Sycamore attack errors tied the set at 22.
After the teams exchanged kills, Ellen Gundlach and Madeline Bildeaux combined for a block that put Navy at set point.
Jacobus finished the comeback with a kill, giving the Midshipmen a 25-23 victory and sending the match to a fifth set.
Navy had erased a seven-point deficit with Indiana State just three points away from winning the match.
Another Comeback Nearly Steals the Match
Indiana State again created separation in the decisive set.
The Sycamores led 5-2 before Navy fought back to tie the score at seven. Indiana State then scored five consecutive points and suddenly held a commanding 12-7 advantage in a set played to 15.
Once again, Navy would not disappear.
The Midshipmen stormed back to make it 12-11, and after the teams exchanged points, Navy remained within striking distance at 13-12.
Indiana State earned match point with a kill. Navy nearly extended the contest on the final rally, but the Sycamores kept Jacobus’ attack alive with a sprawling defensive play before eventually getting the ball over the net and onto the Navy side for the match-ending point.
Indiana State took the fifth set 15-12.
Jacobus Makes Immediate Impact
Despite the loss, Jacobus delivered one of the most notable Navy freshman debuts in recent program history.
Jacobus recorded 21 kills on 49 attacks while hitting .286. Her 21 kills were the most by a Navy freshman in a season-opening match since the program’s available box-score records began in 1993.
Eike added 11 kills and 10 digs for a double-double, while Amara Chambers led Navy defensively with 17 digs.
Setter Isa Boyd finished with 26 assists and 10 digs, while Kinamoni Jerome added 20 assists. Buffum contributed five blocks, and Jerome paced Navy from the service line with three aces.
The numbers reflected just how evenly matched the teams were.
Indiana State held only a 62-58 advantage in kills and outhit Navy .213 to .201. Each team recorded eight service aces. The Sycamores held narrow advantages of 11-10 in blocks and 66-63 in digs.
The fifth set proved to be the difference statistically. Indiana State hit .444 in the deciding frame compared with Navy’s .190.
Indiana State also received unusually balanced offensive production, with five Sycamores reaching double figures in kills. Hadley Hardersen, Curry Kendall and Kira Holland each had 12, Ella Scott added 11 and Ava Robart recorded 10.
The victory was also the first career head-coaching win for Indiana State’s Ted Kopacz.
Another Five-Set Battle for Navy
Long matches are nothing new for the Midshipmen.
Navy played eight five-set matches during the 2025 season, just one shy of the program’s Division I record of nine. The Midshipmen have reached nine five-set matches in a season three times, most recently in 2005.
Navy also opened last season with a five-set defeat, falling 15-12 in the deciding set against Boise State.
Head coach Paco Labrador praised his team’s ability to respond when Indiana State appeared ready to pull away, while acknowledging that Navy needs more consistent execution to avoid falling into large deficits.
That might ultimately be the biggest lesson from the opener. Navy repeatedly demonstrated that it could recover from trouble, but continually having to recover eventually became too much to overcome.
MSB Take
Navy lost the match, but this looked much more like an encouraging season opener than a discouraging defeat.
The Midshipmen were down 22-15 in the fourth set and somehow won it. They were down 12-7 in a fifth set that ends at 15 and still gave themselves a chance at 13-12. That kind of resilience is difficult to teach.
More importantly, Navy might have found an immediate difference-maker in Jacobus. Producing 21 kills in your first collegiate match is impressive by itself. Doing it while hitting .286 against an experienced Indiana State defense and setting a Navy freshman season-opening benchmark makes the performance stand out even more.
The concern is obvious. Navy cannot make a habit of digging 10-point and seven-point holes and expect late rallies to continually bail it out. The Midshipmen also let a 22-18 third-set lead disappear, which potentially changed the entire match.
Clean up those stretches of inconsistent play, however, and this team has some intriguing pieces. Navy showed depth, toughness and legitimate offensive potential in its opener.
Sometimes a loss reveals as much about a team as a victory. Navy’s first match showed there is plenty to work on, but also plenty to build around.
What’s Next
Navy continued the Western Michigan Tournament against host Western Michigan on Saturday before facing Green Bay on Sunday.
The Midshipmen left their opener without the result they wanted, but after nearly fighting their way out of multiple seemingly impossible situations, Navy provided an early glimpse of the toughness that could define its 2026 season.
