Air Force Academy
Wyoming
Falcons Drop 3-2 Heartbreaker to Wyoming
11/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 7, 2015
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team dropped a heartbreaker to Wyoming this morning (Nov. 7) at the Academy, as a five-set rally fell short by a narrow 23-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 14-16 margin. The loss drops the Falcons to 11-17 overall and 4-9 in the conference, while the Cowgirls claimed their 20th win of the season (10-4 Mountain West).
Senior Akokwe Clement registered the program's first 20-20 match in recent memory, as she collected a match-best 21 kills and 20 digs. Clement was one of three Falcons to register double-digit kill totals, as sophomore Shelley Spires added 15 and senior Maggie Sherrill tallied 11. Clement was also one of two Air Force players to surpass the 10-dig mark, as senior Rebecca Bates collected 16. Bates added a match-high three service aces, while sophomore Piper Heineck led the team in blocks (four) and freshman Sarah Hellman led the team in assists (28).
Clement is just the fourth Mountain West player this season to reach the 20-tally mark in kills and digs.
With three of the sets being determined by the minimum two-point margin, it was also an even battle in team statistics. Air Force edged Wyoming by one in kills (63-62), aces (8-7) and digs (70-69), while the Cowgirls held a one-tally advantage in assists (60-59). The only statistic that was determined by more than one was blocking, which saw Wyoming hold a 12-9 advantage.
Senior Rachael Bradley Powers opened the match with a service ace, while three kills from Clement and a block by Sherrill and Heineck helped Air Force take a 5-1 lead. Wyoming responded with a 9-2 run, but back-to-back aces from Bates allowed the Falcons to even the set at 10. The Cowgirls pulled ahead, but two kills from Clement, as well as additional scores from Spires, Sherrill and freshman Elizabeth Pennington event the set at 17. Wyoming tallied six of the next seven points, before Spires stopped their run with a pair of kills. Clement, Sherrill and senior Taylor Parker put down scores to pull within one (24-23), but Wyoming registered the final point for the 25-23 win.
Air Force took a 4-1 run to stark the second set, but Wyoming responded with five straight points to go up by two (6-4). A block from Parker and Pennington helped tie the score at six, while a service ace from Clement gave Air Force the lead at 8-7. Wyoming evened the set at 11, but Air Force scored seven of the next eight points to take an 18-12 lead that forced the Cowgirls into a timeout. Parker and Sherrill each put down a pair of kills during the Air Force run, while Pennington put down an ace and Heineck/Clement teamed up for a block. Wyoming pulled within one (21-20) and tied the set at 23, but Spires put down a kill to secure the 25-23 victory for Air Force.
The Cowgirls struck first in the third set and jumped out to a 5-2 lead. Clement, Parker, Pennington and Spires added scores, but Wyoming took a five-point lead at the 12-7 mark. Air Force used several 2-0 spurts to cut into Wyoming's lead – a kill from Sherrill and solo block from Heineck cut the deficit to three (12-9), kills from Clement and Parker cut the disadvantage to two (13-11), and a kill from Spires and solo stop from Sherrill brought the Falcons within one (18-17). A Cowgirls' attacking error (20-19) and kill from Clement (21-20) kept Air Force within one, but Wyoming scored four of the final five points for the 25-21 win.
Kills from Clement (two) and Sherrill (one) gave Air Force to a 3-1 lead in the fourth set, while a pair of scores from Spires tied the set at six and again at seven. After a tied score at nine, Sherrill put down back-to-back aces to give the Falcons an 11-9 advantage. Spires accounted for three kills to keep Air Force's advantage at two (13-11, 14-12, 15-13), while four Wyoming errors and a kill from Heineck pushed the Falcons' lead to seven (20-13). Wyoming used a quick 5-1 run to trim the score to 21-18, but Clement and Parker put down kills to help Air Force even the match with a 25-19 victory.
Wyoming opened the deciding set with six of the first seven points (6-1) and quickly pushed the score to 9-3, with Clement accounting for two of the squad's three points. The Cowgirls doubled the Falcons at the 12-6 mark, before the Falcons embarked on a 6-0 run to even the set at 12. Clement put down another pair of kills during the run and teamed up with Parker for a block, while Bates notched her third ace during the run. The teams traded the next four scores, with Clement providing the equalizing points at 13- and 14-all, but Wyoming was able to earn the final two points for the 16-14 win.
Air Force heads back out on the road next week, as it travels to Fresno State (Nov. 12) and UNLV (Nov. 14) for its final two-match road trip of the season.
