Air Force Academy
Utah State
Falcons Claim 3-1 Victory Over Utah State
10/12/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball captured a 3-1 victory over Utah State at the Academy on Thursday, Oct. 12 – marking the program's first-ever victory over the Aggies at the Academy and just the second in the all-time series between the two schools. Backed by a season-best 13 total blocks, the Falcons downed the visitors by a 26-24, 25-21, 24-26, 25-17 margin.
Combining for two solo blocks and 22 assisted stops, the Falcons matched their season-high of 13.0 total blocks – a mark first set against South Dakota in mid-September. Freshman Kathleen Medill paced all players with nine blocks (one solo, eight assisted), while junior Abigail Miksch (six; all assisted), senior Piper Heineck (four; one solo, three assisted), freshman Cambria Galloway (three; all assisted) and junior Lauren Heldt (two; all assisted) also accounted for stops on the night.
In addition to their blocking totals, Miksch accounted for a team-best 18 kills, while Heldt hit at a match-high clip of .417 (7k-2e-12a). Sophomore Denise Ssozi also accounted for a double-digit kill total, as she recorded 14 kills on .333 hitting (14k-4e-30a). Freshman Andi Ahlers led the team in assists (24) and service aces (career-best three), while junior Sarah Hellman posted a team-high 10 digs in her return to the libero position. Ahlers was one of four Falcons to notch a service ace in the match (Heineck, Miksch, Ssozi each had two), as Air Force recorded its second-highest single-match total of the season (nine).
It was an ace from Ssozi that opened the match, while a kill and block from Heineck helped Air Force take a quick 3-1 lead. The Falcons doubled up the Aggies at 6-3, as Medill posted a kill and Miksch notched an ace. Utah State responded with five of the next six points to take an 8-7 lead, and extended their advantage to six (16-10), despite kills from Miksch (two) and Heineck (one). Air Force posted three-straight blocks during a 5-0 run that pulled it within one (15-16), while back-to-back scores from Miksch and Galloway tied the set at 17. A pair of scores from Ssozi gave the Falcons a 20-19 advantage, while Heldt put down a kill (21-20) and assisted with Heineck on a block (22-21) to keep the Falcons ahead by one. Utah State evened the score at 23, and again at 24, but a Utah State attacking error and a block by Medill and Galloway gave Air Force the 26-24 victory.
The Aggies struck first in the second set, but Air Force took a 7-4 advantage behind an ace from Heineck and kills from Heldt, Ssozi and junior Shanleigh Conlan. Utah State evened the set at seven, before Heldt tallied back-to-back points (kill, assisted block with Heineck) to help Air Force push its advantage to two (10-8). The squads traded the next eight points, with Air Force earning a pair of scores from Miksch (two kills) and freshman Andi Ahlers (ace), before the Aggies strung together three straight points to tie the set at 14-all. A pair of Utah State attacking errors gave the Falcons a 16-14 lead, but the visitors evened the score at 16 two point later. The teams traded the next eight points, before a kill from Miksch evened the set at 20. That kill was the first of a 6-1 set-ending run by the Falcons. Miksch added a second kill during that stretch, while a kill from Medill and a service ace from Ahlers gave Air Force the 25-22 win.
Utah State scored the first three points of the third set, before Heineck (kill, ace), Miksch and Heldt strung together four straight scores and took a one-point lead (4-3). Kills from Miksch (five) and Galloway (six) kept the scores tied, before Utah State used a 6-2 run to take a four-point lead (12-8). Air Force pulled within one after three-straight points that included a kill and service ace from Ssozi. Trailing by two, the Falcons tallied five-straight points to take a 17-14 advantage. Miksch posted a pair of kills during the run, while teaming up with Medill for a block. The teams traded the next several points, before back-to-back kills from Ssozi and Heineck helped push the Falcons' advantage to four (22-18). The pair combined for another pair of kills as Air Force reached match-point (24-21). However, the Aggies responded with the next five points to take the set, 26-24.
Backed by three-straight kills from Miksch, the Falcons jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the fourth set. The junior added another score, while kills from Ssozi and Galloway helped Air Force push its lead to five (7-2). The Falcons continued to stretch their advantage, as a kill from Heldt and three errors by the Aggies saw the lead increase to nine (14-9). Utah State scored the next three points, but Air Force responded with three of its own (Medill block, Ahlers ace, Galloway kill) to regain a nine-point cushion (18-9). The Aggies cut the Falcons' advantage to five (18-13), before Ssozi (two kills), Miksch (one kill) Heineck (assisted block) and Galloway (assisted block) put down points for Air Force during a 5-1 run. Following another three-point run by the Aggies (23-17), Ssozi and Heineck put down kills that secured the Falcons' 25-17 victory – and just their second win ever over Utah State.
"It was really a spectacular win – on a Thursday, when we had to go to school," head coach Marc Swindle said. "Utah State played great against Boise on Tuesday and I thought it was going to possibly be a different outcome, but I am so proud of the way they played tonight. It was a great team effort and a really good game plan by my staff."
The Falcons close out its only homestand of October on Saturday, when it hosts Boise State at 5:30 p.m.
