Air Force Academy
Fresno State
Air Force Drops 3-2 Heartbreaker to Fresno State
10/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 14, 2016
FRESNO, Calif. – Despite taking a 2-0 lead into the intermission, the Air Force volleyball team dropped a five-set decision to Fresno State this evening (Oct. 13) at the Save Mart Center in Fresno. The Falcons took the first two sets by 30-28, 26-24 scores, before falling 25-19, 25-20, 15-12 in the final three sets.
Sophomore Elizabeth Pennington led the Falcons with 19 kills, while classmate Abigail Miksch (13) and freshman Denise Ssozi (12) also recorded double-digit kill totals. Junior Piper Heineck, who led the team with a .294 hitting percentage (7k-2e-17a), posted a match-high five blocks, including a pair of solo stops. Senior Savannah Banyai led all players with 21 digs, while Ssozi added 13 for her second career double-double. Sophomore Sarah Hellman completed the list of Air Force stat leaders with 37 assists.
Fresno State took a quick 2-1 lead before Ssozi put down a kill that sparked an 8-0 run by the Falcons. Pennington registered a pair of service aces, while Hellman and Heineck put down kills and teamed up for a block during the run. Heineck added a second kill and recorded a solo stop, but Fresno State pulled within two at the 12-10 mark. Pennington and sophomore Lauren Heldt put down kills, but the Bulldogs evened the set at 14 and took the lead at the 16-15 mark. The squads traded the next few points, with Pennington registering her third ace of the set (17-16). Ssozi put down a kill that tied the set at 18, while kills from Hellman (19-18) and Heineck (20-19) kept Air Force in the lead. The Bulldogs strung together the next four points (23-20), before Air Force responded with a 4-0 run of its own behind points from Hellman (kill, ace), Pennington (kill) and Miksch (kill) to reach set-point at 24-23. Miksch earned another kill on the second set-point, while kills from Pennington equaled the score at 26- and 27-all. Fresno State reached its third set point, before Heineck tied the set at 28. Miksch closed out the set with a solo block and a kill to secure the 30-28 victory for Air Force.
Air Force earned the first point of the second set, but Fresno State scored four of the next five points to double up the Falcons (4-2). Miksch put down a kill that helped Air Force even the score at six. Following a tie at seven, Pennington sparked a 4-0 run by the Falcons with a kill and assisted block (Heldt). The Bulldogs tied the set at 10, before Air Force retook a two-point lead (12-10) behind a kill and solo stop from Ssozi. Kills from Heineck, Hellman and Miksch, as well as service ace from Ssozi gave Air Force a four-point advantage (16-12). Heldt and Pennington teamed up for another block that pushed the Falcons' lead to five (20-15), but Fresno State tied the set at 20 and took the lead on the ensuing point. Ssozi (kill) and sophomore Ariana Mosley (ace) stopped the Bulldogs' run, while a kill from Pennington put the Falcons' at their first set-point (24-23). Fresno State evened the game on the next point, but a kill from Hellman and an attacking error by the Bulldogs gave Air Force the 26-24 victory.
Heldt and Pennington teamed up for a block, but Fresno State took the fast 5-1 lead to open the third set. Kills from Miksch and Ssozi brought Air Force within two (6-4), while back-to-back scores from Heineck (kill) and Banyai (ace) narrowed the Falcons' deficit to one (7-6). Scores from Miksch (8-7) and Pennington (9-8) kept Air Force within one, but Fresno State scored the next three points to go ahead by a 12-8 margin. Mosley notched her second ace to stop the Bulldogs' run (12-10), but the home team stretched its advantage to six (19-13). Pennington scored four of the Falcons' final five points, but Fresno State took the set by a 25-19 margin.
Fresno State scored the first four points of the fourth set, before Pennington and Ssozi put down kills to help bring Air Force within two (5-3). Ssozi added another kill, while Miksch put down back-to-back points (kill, block) that kept the Falcons' deficit at two (8-6). Fresno State scored six of the next eight points to stretch their lead to six (14-8), but three straight attacking errors by the Bulldogs cut their lead to three (14-11). Pennington put down a kill and an ace, while Heineck notched a pair of blocks (assisted with Hellman, solo) during a 6-0 Air Force run that ended with the Falcons taking a 17-16 lead. Hellman and Heineck teamed up for another block, while Miksch and Heldt put down kills that gave Air Force a 20-19 advantage, but the Bulldogs scored the final six points to even the match with a 25-20 victory.
The Bulldogs took an early 3-0 lead, but Air Force responded with the next four, as Pennington put down a pair of kills and teamed up for a block with Heldt (4-3). Following a tie at four, the teams traded the next four points, with Ssozi putting down equalizing kills to equal the score at five and six. The teams switched sides with Fresno State leading 8-7, but the Falcons evened the set on the ensuing play. The Bulldogs took a two-point lead (11-9), but Miksch put down a score that helped Air Force tie the set at 11. Pennington added one more kill, but Fresno State scored four of the final five points to take the deciding set by a 15-12 margin.
The Falcons remain in California on Saturday (Oct. 15), when they face San Jose State at 1:00 p.m. (PT).
