Air Force Academy
Boise State
Air Force Swept by Boise State on the Road
11/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BOISE, Idaho - The Air Force volleyball team recorded its fewest kills of the season (30) during a 3-0 loss to Boise State on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 1) in Boise, Idaho. The Falcons, who suffered a 25-18, 25-14, 25-23 sweep to the host Broncos, fell to 11-15 on the season and 5-7 in conference play.
Freshman Shelley Spires led the team in kills with eight, while juniors Akokwe Clement and Maggie Sherrill each added seven. Senior Hillary Keltner assisted on 27 of the team's 30 kills and classmate Emma Dridge accounted for the team's lone service ace. Clement also led the team in digs (eight), while junior Raquel Rosas accounted for four blocks (one solo, three assisted).
Air Force earned the match's first two points off of BSU errors, while a kill by Spires gave the Falcons a 3-1 advantage. Boise State evened it at three, before junior Taylor Parker broke the tie with a kill (4-3). The junior added another score, while Sherrill and Clement put down kills to put Air Force up two (8-6). Spires tallied a kill (10-8), but the Broncos used a 3-0 run to take an 11-10 lead. Two kills and a block by Sherrill put Air Force up two (14-12), while the Falcons kept a two-point advantage (15-13) off of a kill by Clement. The Broncos scored 12 of the final 15 points to take the opening set by a 25-18 margin.
The Broncos took a quick 3-1 lead, but a pair of kills from Sherrill evened the set at three and began a back-and-fourth swing that encompassed the next eight points. Parker (5-5) and Clement (7-7) accounted for set-tying kills, before The Broncos used another 3-0 run to go up 10-7, but the Falcons pulled within one (10-9) following a kill by Spires and a solo stop by Rosas. Boise State pulled away with a long scoring run to take a 22-11 lead. Parker and Keltner teamed up for a block, and Sherrill put down a kill, but the Falcons dropped the second set 25-14.
Kills by Spires and Sherrill, as well as a block from Spires and Parker, gave Air Force a 3-1 lead to start the third set, but like the previous games, the opponent evened the score at three. Spires sparked a 3-0 run by the Falcons, while additional kills from Parker and Keltner, as well as a block by Clement and Rosas, gave the Falcons a 9-6 advantage. Boise State scored five of the next six points to go up 11-10, before Spires put down a kill and teamed up with Rosas for a block to swing the lead back in favor of the Falcons (12-11). Boise State retook the lead with a 5-2 run (16-14), but Air Force responded with a 6-1 run of its own that included a pair of kills from Clement, a service ace from Dridge and a block from Clement and Rosas (21-18). The Broncos scored the next five points to go ahead 23-21, but another kill by Clement helped the Falcons even the set at 23. Boise State was able to claim the final two point to complete the sweep with a 25-23 victory.
Air Force returns to the Academy next week for conference rematches against San Diego State (Thursday, Nov. 6) and UNLV (Saturday, Nov. 8). Both matches are scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
