Air Force Academy
San Jose State
Falcons Drop 3-1 Contest to San Jose State
10/19/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Air Force volleyball team opened the second half of the conference season with a 3-1 loss to San Jose State this evening (Oct. 19) at Spartan Gym in San Jose. After dropping the first two sets by 25-20, 25-10 margins, the Falcons won the third set by a score of 27-25. A fourth-set comeback fell just two points short (25-23), as Air Force fell to 10-13 (3-6 MW) on the season.
Junior Abigail Miksch paced the Falcons with 12 kills, while senior Piper Heineck added 11 on .588 hitting (11k-1e-17a). Junior Shanleigh Conlan registered sixth double-double of the year, as she collected 30 assists and tied with sophomore Denise Ssozi for a team-high 11 digs. Freshman Jordan Daniels posted a match-high two service aces and Heineck earned a pair of blocks (one solo, one assisted).
A kill from Ssozi helped Air Force take a quick 3-1 lead to open the match, while a kill and service ace from Heineck extended the Falcons' lead to three (5-2). The Spartans scored four of the next six points to pull within one (8-7), before a kill from Ssozi and three SJSU errors pushed the Falcons' advantage to four (11-7). San Jose State evened the set at 12, before Ssozi put down a kill (13-12) to stop the run. The squads traded the next few points, with Heineck (14-13) and Miksch (15-14) recording the tie-breaking points. San Jose State scored six of the next seven points to force Air Force into a timeout at 17-20 mark. Ssozi added another pair of kills, but the Spartans took the opening set, 25-20.
After three serving errors by the Spartans saw the second set in an early 3-3 tie, San Jose State scored the next 11 of the next 12 points to go up by 10 (4-14). Heineck and junior Lauren Heldt put down kills, but the Spartans pushed their lead to 21-7. Miksch added a score, but SJSU claimed the 25-10 victory.
Kills from Heineck, Miksch and Heldt, as well as a service ace from Daniels, helped Air Force tie the score at four in the opening minutes out the third set. A score from Medill helped break up a 9-2 run by the Spartans, who took a five-point lead (12-7). San Jose State traded points with Heineck, who notched kills for the Falcons' next three points (10-14), while a score from freshman Kathleen Medill helped Air Force pull within two (13-15). The Spartans extended their advantage to five (20-15), before Medill put down a kill and junior Sarah Hellman earned a service ace (17-20). Heineck and freshman Andi Ahlers teamed up for the Falcons' first block of the match (18-21), while kills from Miksch (two) and Ssozi (one) pulled the Falcons within one (22-23). Another pair of kills from Miksch gave Air Force two set-points (25-24, 26-25), while a solo stop from Medill gave the Falcons the 27-25 victory.
Miksch put down the first point of the fourth set, while a Heldt/Medill block and a Daniels ace gave Air Force a 3-1 lead. San Jose State responded with the next three points, but Air Force used its own 3-0 run (Medill kill, Ssozi block, Miksch ace) to retake the lead and go ahead by a 6-4 margin. The Falcons pushed their advantage to four (11-7) following pair from Ssozi, but San Jose State responded and brought the score within one (11-10). The two squads traded the next few points and Air Force entered the media timeout with a 15-12 lead. Back-to-back kills from Heineck pushed the Falcons' lead to four (18-14) and forced the Spartans into a timeout. Coming out of the break, San Jose State scored six of the next seven points to tie the set at 21, before Heldt put down a kill to stop the run. The Spartans evened the score on the next point and registered three of the final four scores to take the 25-23 win.
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Oct. 21, when they travel to Reno to face Nevada at 1:00 p.m. (PT).
