Air Force Academy
San Diego State
Falcons Drop 3-1 Decision to San Diego State
10/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 27, 2016
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Air Force volleyball team dropped a 3-1 Mountain West contest to San Diego State this evening (Oct. 27) in San Diego. After winning the first set by a 25-20 margin, the Falcons (9-15) lost consecutive 25-17, 25-12, 25-23 decisions to the host Aztecs, who improved to 14-10 on the season.
Sophomore Elizabeth Pennington and freshman Denise Ssozi combined for 23 of the team's 33 kills, as Pennington registered 12 on .250 hitting (12-5-28) and Ssozi added 11. Sophomore Shanleigh Conlan set a new career high with 29 assists on the night, while senior Savannah Banyai led the team in digs (11) and service aces (three). Sophomore Lauren Heldt rounded out the list of Air Force stat leaders, as she tallied a match-high five blocks (all assisted).
Pennington scored the Falcons' first three points, registering two kills and a service ace that helped put Air Force up by a 3-2 margin. The Aztecs evened the score at four, but two kills from Ssozi gave Air Force back its one-point advantage (6-5). San Diego State scored four of the next five points, but another score from Pennington brought the Falcons within one (9-8). Air Force retook the lead at 11-10, following a pair of Aztec errors, while an ace from Banyai extended the Falcons' advantage to two (12-10). A kill from freshman Alina Vanecek helped the Falcons push their lead to three (15-12), but the Aztecs evened the score three points later. The Falcons returned the run with a 3-0 streak of their own (18-15), before Ssozi put down a kill and teamed up for a block with Heldt that extended Air Force's lead to five (22-17). Heldt and Vanecek recorded a block, while a pair of kills from Pennington gave Air Force the 25-20 win.
Kills from Pennington and sophomore Abigail Miksch, as well as a Pennington/Heldt block, gave Air Force an early 4-2 lead. San Diego State tied the set at four and the two squads matched the next four scores, before the Aztecs used a 4-0 run to take a 12-8 advantage. Heldt and Ssozi teamed up for a block to stop the run, while Ssozi put down an ace to bring Air Force within two (12-10). Kills from Vanecek (13-11) and Miksch (14-12, 15-13) kept the Falcons within a pair, but the Aztecs rolled off another five points to go ahead 22-14. Pennington teamed up for a block with junior Piper Heineck and Ssozi put down a pair of kills, but San Diego State evened the match with a 25-17 win.
Miksch recorded a kill, but San Diego State tallied eight of the first 10 points and forced the Falcons into an early timeout. The Aztecs pushed its lead to 10 (12-2), before a SDSU attacking error stopped the run. Pennington put down a kill that halt another 5-0 run by the home squad (15-5). Ssozi recorded a kill that put the Falcons in double figures, but San Diego State claimed the 25-12 victory.
The Aztecs took an early 4-1 lead to start the fourth set, but kills from Pennington, Vanecek and Ssozi helped Air Force even the set at five. Miksch registered a kill on the ensuing point that gave Air Force its first lead since early in the second set and the teams traded the next few points. The Aztecs took a 10-8 lead, but Pennington put down a kill and teamed up with Heldt for a block that gave Air Force its own two-point lead (12-10). San Diego State retook the lead three points later. A kill from Miksch brought the Falcons within one (16-15), but the Aztecs scored six of the next seven points to go up five (21-16). Ssozi and Vanecek put down kills that cut into San Diego State's lead, while back-to-back aces from Banyai brought the Falcons within one (23-22). The Falcons stayed within one at the 24-23 mark, but the Aztecs posted the deciding point for the 25-23 victory.
Air Force closes out the weekend on Saturday (Oct. 29), when it travels to Reno to face Nevada.
