Air Force Academy
Fresno State
Falcons Fall to Fresno State in Road Contest
11/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 12, 2015
FRESNO, Calif. – The Air Force volleyball team dropped a 3-0 road contest to Fresno State this evening (Nov. 12) at the Save Mart Center in Fresno. The Falcons, who moved to 11-8 on the year and 4-10 in conference action, fell in consecutive 25-16, 25-18, 27-25 sets to the host Bulldogs.
Senior Akokwe Clement led the team with 11 kills, while classmate Taylor Parker hit at a .467 clip, recording eight kills on 15 attempts with just one error. Fellow senior Rebecca Bates, who registered a match-best two aces, tallied a team-high 13 digs, while sophomore Piper Heineck collected three blocks (all assisted). Freshman Sarah Hellman rounded out the Falcons' stat leader with a team-high 24 assists.
Fresno State jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, but a pair of kills from Clement, as well as individual scores from Parker and sophomore Shelley Spires allowed Air Force to even the score at six. The Bulldogs took the lead on the ensuing point and, despite kills from Parker, Spires, Heineck and freshman Elizabeth Pennington, claimed the 25-16 victory.
The second set saw Air Force take the 5-1 lead, as Bates registered a pair of aces during the first four points. A kill from Pennington put the Falcons up 6-2, but the Bulldogs scored the next 10 points to take a 12-6 advantage. Spires put down a kill and teamed up with Heineck for a block to stop Fresno State's run, while Clement (two) and Parker (one) combined for three kills to pull within four (17-13). The Bulldogs scored four of the next five points, but Air Force put together a 4-0 run that cut its deficit to three (21-18). Parker and Spires each tallied a kill and teamed up for a block during the run, while Hellman also put down a kill. The Bulldogs scored the final four points to win the set by a 25-18 margin.
A kill from Parker and an ace from senior Rachael Bradley Powers gave the Falcons the first two points of the third set, while a pair of kills from Clement put the Falcons up 4-2. Back-to-back scores from Heineck and Spires helped the Falcons extend its lead to three (7-4). The Bulldogs evened the set at 11, but Clement put down a kill on the next point to give the Falcons back the lead (12-11). Heineck/Hellman and Heineck/Clement recorded blocks on consecutive plays to retake a three-point lead (15-12). Pennington put down a kill and teamed up with Parker for a block to extend the Falcons' lead to four (18-14), but the Bulldogs came back to tie the set at 20. Clement registered a pair of kills that gave Air Force a 23-21 advantage and added another to tie the set at 24 after Fresno State reached match-point. Pennington put down a kill to tie the score at 25, but the Bulldogs claimed the final two points for the 27-25 victory.
Air Force remains on the road this Saturday (Nov. 14) when it travels to UNLV for a 6:00 p.m. match.
