Air Force Academy
San Diego State
Air Force Defeats San Diego State, 3-1
9/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team picked up its first Mountain West victory of the season today (Sept. 26), as it defeated San Diego State by a 3-1 margin at the Academy's Cadet East Gym. After falling 25-19 in the opening set, the Falcons collected three straight wins (25-18, 25-21, 25-15) to improve to 8-9 on the year and 1-1 in conference play.
With today's victory, the Falcons have won two straight against San Diego State after winning just two matches in the previous 36 meetings combined. Air Force is also now an even 3-3 at the Academy under head coach Matt McShane (2010, 2014, 2015).
Senior Maggie Sherrill paced all players with 15 kills and a .682 average, as those kills came on just 22 attempts with no errors. She was one of two Falcons to register a double-digit kill total, as sophomore Shelley Spires added 13 scores on .219 hitting. In all, five players hit over .200 for the match, including seniors Taylor Parker (6-1-10, .500), Akokwe Clement (9-3-27, .222) and Raquel Rosas (6-2-19, .211). Freshman Sarah Hellman accounted for 25 of the team's assists, while classmate Shanleigh Conlan added 21. The Falcons combined for five service aces, backed by a pair of scores from senior Rachael Bradley Powers. Defensively, Rosas registered five blocks (all assisted), while Sherrill (0-4) and Parker (1-3) each added four. Fellow senior Rebecca Bates tied for the match lead with 12 digs.
As a team, the Falcons outhit the Aztecs by a .315-.124 average, while also holding the overall advantage in kills (56-45), assists (53-43), digs (49-47) and blocks (18-13).
Clement put down the Falcons' first kill of the match, while scores from Rosas and freshman Elizabeth Pennington evened the score at six. San Diego State scored six of the next seven points (12-7), before a kill from Sherrill and ace from Bradley Powers stopped the Aztecs' run. Pennington put down a kill to bring the Falcons within two (15-13), but San Diego State reestablished its advantage with a 4-1 run. Clement registered a solo block and a kill, but the Aztecs scored the final five points for the 25-19 win.
Sherrill and Rosas kicked off the second set with five of the Falcons' first six points, as they each put down a pair of kills and teamed up for a block. After the Aztecs tied the score at six, the two squads traded the next several points, with Spires, Pennington and Clement putting down scores for the Falcons. Rosas and Sherrill combined for another block, while putting down another pair of scores to put the Falcons up four (13-9). Rosas also teamed up with Pennington for a block and accounted for a service ace as the Falcons regained a four-point advantage at the 16-12 mark. Spires and Sherrill put down back-to-back kills as Air Force extended its lead to six (25-16). Sherrill added the Falcons' final two kills, as Air Force evened the match with 25-18 victory.
A service ace from Bradley Powers opened the third set, before a block from Spires and Parker halted a 5-0 run by the Aztecs and sparked a 6-2 run by the Falcons that brought them within one (15-14). Parker teamed up with Clement for a block during the run, while Sherrill added another kill. Rosas and Sherrill combined for another block to keep the Falcons within one (17-16). Back-to-back errors by the Aztecs evened the set at 18, while a kill by Parker matched scores at 20. Backed by a kill from Spires and a block from Clement and Parker, the Falcons scored five of the final six points to win the set by a 25-21 margin.
A pair of kills from Sherrill, as well as a single strike from Parker, gave the Falcons a fast 3-0 start to the fourth set, but San Diego State used its own run to tie the set at three. Clement (kill) and Conlan (ace) put down back-to-back scores, while a block from Sherrill and Rosas, as well as a kill from Spires, forced the Aztecs into a timeout at the 7-4 mark. SDSU cut the Falcons' lead to one (10-9), but Air Force responded with a pair of kills from both Clement and Sherrill, as well as a Sherrill service ace, to go up six (18-12). The Falcons, backed by kills from Parker, Spires and Clement, claimed six of the final seven points to take the set 25-15 and secure the 3-1 overall victory.
"Everyone hit well today," McShane said after the match. "I think the setters did a really good job of distributing the ball to lots of different people. I think Maggie said it best (during her post-match interview on GoAirForceFalcons.com) ... it was a team victory. Everybody out there played well and it was a very, very good team win."
Air Force has just one match on its itinerary for the upcoming week, as it travels to California on Thursday, Oct. 1, to face San Jose State at 6:00 p.m. (PT).
