Air Force Academy
Georgetown
Air Force Drops 3-0 Match to Georgetown
9/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 16, 2016
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to Georgetown this evening (Sept. 16) at the Academy's Clune Arena. The Falcons, who out-hit (229-227) and out-blocked (10-6) the Hoyas, fell is straight 25-20, 25-22, 25-21 sets and moved to 8-4 on the year.
Sophomores Abigail Miksch (match-high 15) and Elizabeth Pennington (12) combined for 27 of the team's 40 kills on the night, while both hitting over 300 on the night (.357 for Miksch, .345 for Pennington). Junior Piper Heineck tallied a match-best five blocks (one solo, four assisted), while sophomore Sarah Hellman added four blocks (one solo, three assisted) and 33 assists. Senior Savannah Banyai and freshman Denise Ssozi each registered a service ace and sophomore Julia Boswell paced the team in digs, with seven in her first match at the libero position.
The Hoyas took an early 3-1 lead to open the match, but a kill by Pennington and an ace from Ssozi evened the set at three. The squads traded the next few points, while Air Force earning tying points from Banyai (5-5) and Miksch, who evened the set at seven, nine and 10. The Hoyas broke an 11-all tie and took a five-point advantage at the 20-15 mark. Kills from sophomore Lauren Heldt, Miksch, Hellman and Heineck helped the Falcons reach the 20-kill plateau, but Georgetown took the opening set, 25-20.
Two kills and a block from Pennington (assisted by Heineck) helped Air Force take a 4-1 lead to start the second set, while three kills from Miksch kept the Falcons in the lead (7-5). Georgetown evened the set at seven and took the lead on the ensuing point, but a second block by Pennington and Heineck evened the score at 10. Miksch put down another kill that tied the score at 12, while an attacking error by the Hoyas gave Air Force at 15-14 lead. Air Force continued to lead behind kills from Pennington and Banyai, as well as a pair of blocks (Banyai/Heldt, Heineck/Hellman), but Georgetown evened the set at 21. Heineck put down one additional kill, but the Hoyas took the second set 25-22.
Heineck put down the Falcons' first kill of the third set, while Miksch added a kill and a solo block on the way to a 3-3 tie to start the third set. The teams continued to trade points, with Air Force earning its scores off of kills from Heineck (4-3), Heldt (5-3), Miksch (6-5), Banyai (7-6, 8-7) and Pennington (9-8). The Falcons took a two-point advantage at 10-8 following a block from Heineck and Hellman, but Georgetown responded to even the score at 10. Air Force went ahead by a 13-11 margin behind a pair of kills from Miksch and the two squads traded points once more. The Hoyas took a three-point lead at 20-17, but a kill and ace from Banyai, as well as a solo stop from Hellman, tied the score at 20. Despite a kill from Pennington, Georgetown scored five of the final six points for the 25-21 victory.
Air Force closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule tomorrow (Sept. 17), when it hosts Southern Utah at 5:00 p.m. Fans attending the match should enter the Academy through the North Gate and remain in the far right lane, as all other traffic will be directed toward the football stadium.
