Air Force Academy
Liberty
Falcons Drop Two at Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic
9/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force volleyball team opened the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic with two tough losses on Friday, Sept. 8. The Falcons dropped a 25-23, 23-25,19-25, 18-25 decision to Liberty in its home opener at the newly-renovated Cadet East Gym, before falling 25-23, 22-25, 12-25, 27-25, 15-17 in a five-set thriller with Southern Utah.
Sophomore Denise Ssozi led the Falcons against the Flames with a match-best 20 kills, while connecting at a team-high clip of .289 (20k-9e-38a). Junior Abigail Miksch also recorded double-digit kills, notching 13 kills on .161 hitting (13k-8e-31a), as the pair combined for 33 of the team's 49 kills. Junior Shanleigh Conlan, who posted a two service aces, earned her first double-double of the season, with 38 assists and 14 digs. Freshman Alex King, who made her first collegiate start in the libero jersey, tied Conlan for the match lead with 14 digs. Senior Piper Heineck rounded out the Falcons' stat leaders, as she accounted for six blocks, including a pair of solo stops.
Heineck shined for the Falcons during the nightcap, which started just over an hour after the first match concluded. The squad's lone senior, who assisted on a match-best nine blocks, notched the first 20-kill match of her career, tallying 20 scores on 34 attempts, with just six errors, for a .412 hitting percentage. Heineck was one of three Falcons to post double-digit kill totals, as Ssozi (17) and Miksch (13) combined for 30. Conlan, who registered a match-high three aces, recorded her second double-double in as many matches, with 40 assists and 12 digs. King recorded her first 20-dig match (22), while classmate Andi Anders accounted for 14 helpers in her first significant action of the year.
The highlight of the day came during the Falcons' thrilling 'fourth set' victory over the Thunderbirds, as Air Force overcame a 21-12 deficit to take the set by a 27-25 margin. With Southern Utah just four points from taking the match, Ssozi put down a kill to spark an eight-point run by Air Force that included strong serving from junior Lauren Heldt. Heineck (one) and Miksch (two) combined for three kills and teamed up for a block, while Heldt served up an ace during the early portion of the run. The Thunderbirds stopped the Falcons' streak with a kill at the 22-18 mark, before Heineck put down another kill to bring Air Force within two (22-20). The Thunderbirds reached match-point three plays later (24-21), before the Miksch/Heineck blocking combo struck again to hold them. Miksch moved back to the line on the ensuing rotation and served the Falcons to a 25-24 advantage -- the Falcons' first lead of the set. Ssozi (three) and Heineck (one) combined for four straight kills during the run, while back-to-back kills from Ssozi secured the 27-25 decision for Air Force.
Air Force returns to Cadet East Gym tomorrow (Sept. 9) for rematches with both the Flames and Thunderbirds. The Falcons will face Liberty at 10 a.m., before closing out the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic against Southern Utah at 2:00 p.m.
