Thursday, November 15
USAFA
6:30 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
15-15 (5-11)
3
vs
2
Boise State
18-11 (10-7)
1
2
3
4
5
F
Boise State
25
24
15
25
15
2
Air Force
23
26
25
16
17
3
Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Falcons Claim 3-2 Victory over Boise State
11/15/2018 11:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Air Force improved to .500 on the year after capturing its 15th win of the season.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team picked up its 15th victory of the season this evening (Nov. 15) with a thrilling 3-2 win over Boise State at the Academy's Cadet East Gym. The Falcons, who now own the program's second-highest single-season win total at the Division I level, downed the Broncos 23-25, 26-24, 25-15, 16-25, 17-15 to return to .500 (15-15) on the year.
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Senior Abigail Miksch registered a match-high 14 kills to pace a quartet of Falcons with at least 10 kills on the night. Classmate Elizabeth Pennington (13), junior Denise Ssozi (12) and freshman Bailey Keith (10) also accounted for double-digit totals in that category, while Keith led the team with a .304 hitting percentage (10k-3e-23a). Sophomore Andi Ahlers tallied a match-high 28 assists, while she and classmate Jordan Daniels led all players with three aces apiece. Senior Sarah Hellman collected a team-high 13 digs, while senior Lauren Heldt earned a team-high five blocks (all assisted).
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The Broncos earned the first two points of the match, but Pennington got Air Force on the board with the next score (1-2) and the two teams traded the next several points. Miksch accounted for a set-tying kill at 5-5 and teamed up with Heldt for a block that gave Air Force a 6-5 lead on the next play. With the score tied at nine-all, Ahlers tallied back-to-back aces that sparked a 4-0 run by Air Force that included a Ssozi kill and Pennington/Medill block. Keith put down a kill that kept the Falcons' lead at four (15-11), but Boise State responded with a 5-0 run that evened the set at 16. Ssozi stopped the run with a kill and Air Force took a two-point lead at the 20-18 mark. Miksch helped Air Force tie the set again at 21, but the Broncos broke a 22-all tie to win the opening set by a 25-23 margin.
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Kills from Pennington, Keith and Medill helped Air Force jump out to a fast 4-1 lead in the second set, but Boise State came back to even the set at five. The Falcons earned scores from Heldt, Ssozi and Pennington, before Ahlers third ace of the night tied the set at nine. The Broncos scored the next two points and then the teams traded points, with Boise State maintaining the slim lead. A pair of kills from Heldt tied the set at 17, while Ssozi recorded a strike that gave Air Force the 18-17 lead. Again, the teams traded scores, before Air Force pushed its advantage to two (23-21). Boise State scored the next three (23-24), but back-to-back kills from Miksch – and a block from Heldt and Keith – gave Air Force the 26-24 victory.
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Pennington struck first in the third set, while a pair of scores from Keith gave Air Force a 5-4 lead and sparked a run that pushed the Falcons' advantage to six at the 12-6 mark. Daniels notched her first ace during that run, while Heldt, Pennington and Ssozi all registered kills. Boise State pulled within two (13-11), but three errors by the Broncos and a kill from Pennington pushed the Falcons' lead back to four (16-12). Miksch and Heldt teamed up for another block during a 5-1 run by the Falcons and back-to-back kills from Miksch and Ssozi gave Air Force the easy 25-15 win.
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Medill earned the opening point of the fourth set, while kills from Pennington (2-1) and Miksch (3-2) accounted for Air Force's points during the back-and-forth play of the first six scores. Boise State broke a three-all tie with four-straight points and forced Air Force into an early timeout. Keith and Miksch tallied scores, but the Broncos maintained their four-point advantage at the 10-6 mark. Pennington (two), Ssozi, Miksch, Keith and Heldt registered kills, but Boise State slowly stretched its lead for the 25-16 win.
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For the fourth time in the match, Pennington accounted for the Falcons' first offensive point, as she put down a kill that tied the set at two. A kill from Miksch and another ace from Daniels gave Air Force the 5-4 lead, but Boise State responded with three of the next four points to go up 7-6. A block by Pennington and Heldt tied the set at seven, while an ace from Ssozi and a kill from Pennington returned the lead to Air Force at the 9-8 mark. Following another short BSU run, back-to-back aces from Pennington tied the set at 11 and gave Air Force back the lead on the next point. Boise State scored the next three points to reach match-point (14-12), but kills from Medill and Keith tied the set at 14 and another score from Keith re-tied the set at 15. Benefitting from a pair of attacking errors by the Broncos, Air Force captured the 17-15 victory and recorded back-to-back home wins over the Broncos for the first time since 2013-14.
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Air Force closes out its home season on Saturday, Nov. 17, when it hosts Utah State at 1:00 p.m. (MT).
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Senior Abigail Miksch registered a match-high 14 kills to pace a quartet of Falcons with at least 10 kills on the night. Classmate Elizabeth Pennington (13), junior Denise Ssozi (12) and freshman Bailey Keith (10) also accounted for double-digit totals in that category, while Keith led the team with a .304 hitting percentage (10k-3e-23a). Sophomore Andi Ahlers tallied a match-high 28 assists, while she and classmate Jordan Daniels led all players with three aces apiece. Senior Sarah Hellman collected a team-high 13 digs, while senior Lauren Heldt earned a team-high five blocks (all assisted).
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The Broncos earned the first two points of the match, but Pennington got Air Force on the board with the next score (1-2) and the two teams traded the next several points. Miksch accounted for a set-tying kill at 5-5 and teamed up with Heldt for a block that gave Air Force a 6-5 lead on the next play. With the score tied at nine-all, Ahlers tallied back-to-back aces that sparked a 4-0 run by Air Force that included a Ssozi kill and Pennington/Medill block. Keith put down a kill that kept the Falcons' lead at four (15-11), but Boise State responded with a 5-0 run that evened the set at 16. Ssozi stopped the run with a kill and Air Force took a two-point lead at the 20-18 mark. Miksch helped Air Force tie the set again at 21, but the Broncos broke a 22-all tie to win the opening set by a 25-23 margin.
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Kills from Pennington, Keith and Medill helped Air Force jump out to a fast 4-1 lead in the second set, but Boise State came back to even the set at five. The Falcons earned scores from Heldt, Ssozi and Pennington, before Ahlers third ace of the night tied the set at nine. The Broncos scored the next two points and then the teams traded points, with Boise State maintaining the slim lead. A pair of kills from Heldt tied the set at 17, while Ssozi recorded a strike that gave Air Force the 18-17 lead. Again, the teams traded scores, before Air Force pushed its advantage to two (23-21). Boise State scored the next three (23-24), but back-to-back kills from Miksch – and a block from Heldt and Keith – gave Air Force the 26-24 victory.
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Pennington struck first in the third set, while a pair of scores from Keith gave Air Force a 5-4 lead and sparked a run that pushed the Falcons' advantage to six at the 12-6 mark. Daniels notched her first ace during that run, while Heldt, Pennington and Ssozi all registered kills. Boise State pulled within two (13-11), but three errors by the Broncos and a kill from Pennington pushed the Falcons' lead back to four (16-12). Miksch and Heldt teamed up for another block during a 5-1 run by the Falcons and back-to-back kills from Miksch and Ssozi gave Air Force the easy 25-15 win.
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Medill earned the opening point of the fourth set, while kills from Pennington (2-1) and Miksch (3-2) accounted for Air Force's points during the back-and-forth play of the first six scores. Boise State broke a three-all tie with four-straight points and forced Air Force into an early timeout. Keith and Miksch tallied scores, but the Broncos maintained their four-point advantage at the 10-6 mark. Pennington (two), Ssozi, Miksch, Keith and Heldt registered kills, but Boise State slowly stretched its lead for the 25-16 win.
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For the fourth time in the match, Pennington accounted for the Falcons' first offensive point, as she put down a kill that tied the set at two. A kill from Miksch and another ace from Daniels gave Air Force the 5-4 lead, but Boise State responded with three of the next four points to go up 7-6. A block by Pennington and Heldt tied the set at seven, while an ace from Ssozi and a kill from Pennington returned the lead to Air Force at the 9-8 mark. Following another short BSU run, back-to-back aces from Pennington tied the set at 11 and gave Air Force back the lead on the next point. Boise State scored the next three points to reach match-point (14-12), but kills from Medill and Keith tied the set at 14 and another score from Keith re-tied the set at 15. Benefitting from a pair of attacking errors by the Broncos, Air Force captured the 17-15 victory and recorded back-to-back home wins over the Broncos for the first time since 2013-14.
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Air Force closes out its home season on Saturday, Nov. 17, when it hosts Utah State at 1:00 p.m. (MT).
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Team Stats
BSU
AF
Kills
48
63
Errors
23
34
Attempts
137
170
Hitting %
.182
.171
Points
72.5
81.0
Assists
44
58
Aces
5
9
Blocks
19.5
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
13
Aces
2
Blocks
4
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
MH/MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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