Air Force Academy
Illinois
Falcons Finish Second at Bobcat Classic
8/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Air Force volleyball team wrapped up the first weekend of the season with a 3-0 loss to Illinois on Saturday, Aug. 26, during the championship match of the Bobcat Classic in Bozeman. The Falcons, who posted a 2-1 record to finish second in Montana State's season-opening tournament, dropped the final match in straight 25-10, 25-20, 25-14 sets.
Junior Elizabeth Pennington tallied nearly half of the Falcons' 28 kills, as she tied for the match lead with 12. The junior also led all players with a .320 hitting percentage, as her 12 kills came on 25 attempts and just four errors. Junior Shanleigh Conlan tied for the match lead with 24 assists, while classmate Sarah Hellman posted a match-best two aces. Hellman and freshman Jordan Daniels led the team with six digs apiece and junior Abigail Miksch accounted for a team-leading two blocks (one solo, one assisted).
Illinois took an early 3-1 lead, before sophomore Denise Ssozi accounted for a pair of kills to pull the Falcons within one (4-3). Illinois tallied six of the next seven points to force the squad into a timeout at the 10-4 mark. Miksch and Pennington each tallied a pair of kills and an Illinois attacking error put the Falcons in double figures, but Illinois took the opening set by a 25-10 score.
Despite an early kill from junior Piper Heineck, the Illini took a 7-1 advantage to start the second set. Pennington and Ssozi put down kills, before three Illinois errors and a Hellman ace brought the Falcons within two (9-7). Conlan and Heineck tallied back-to-back kills that cut the deficit to one (10-9), while a score from freshman Brynn Sulte kept Air Force within one at 13-12. The Illini scored six of the next eight points and, although Heineck and Miksch each added a pair of kills, the Falcons dropped the set, 25-20.
Pennington put down a kill that helped Air Force take the first two points of the third set and added another pair of scores that brought the Falcons within one at the 5-4 mark. Ssozi registered a solo stop and Heineck tallied a kill and an ace on back-to-back plays, but Illinois used an 8-1 run to take a 17-8 lead. A pair of kills from Pennington put the Falcons in double figures, while Hellman notched her second ace of the set at 20-11. Heineck added a kill and teamed up with Miksch for a block, but the Illini completed the sweep by a 25-14 margin.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Heineck and Pennington were named to the all-tournament team.
Air Force returns to action on Wednesday, Aug. 30, when it travels to Annapolis, Md., to face Navy at 4:00 p.m. The Falcons' East Coast road swing will also include contests with Army West Point, The Citadel and Columbia at the Service Academy Challenge in Washington D.C., on Sept. 1-2.
