Air Force Comeback Falls Short Against Wyoming

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Five Falcons registered double-digit kill totals this afternoon (Nov. 3), but the Air Force volleyball team suffered a tough 3-2 loss to Wyoming at the Academy's Cadet East Gym. The Falcons, who also played a five-set match against the Cowgirls earlier this season in Laramie, won the opening set by a 25-21, before dropping a pair of narrow 25-23 decisions. After tying the match with a 25-22 win in the fourth, the Falcons were unable to complete the comeback, suffered a 15-8 loss in the fifth.

During today's match, senior Shanleigh Conlan reached a major program milestone, becoming just the third Air Force player at the Division I level to tally 100 service aces in a career – joining Robyn Duncan (100, 1996-99) and Delavane Diaz (118, 2000-03).

Senior Elizabeth Pennington registered 17 kills on .424 hitting to lead the Falcons, while junior Denise Ssozi (15), senior Abigail Miksch (12), sophomore Kathleen Medill (10) and freshman Bailey Keith (10) also accounted for double-digit kill totals. Medill and Conlan tallied a match-high two aces apiece, while sophomore Andi Ahlers notched a team-high 32 assists. Sophomore Alex King tied for the match-lead with 15 digs, while Ssozi and Conlan each added 10, and freshman Rachel Budzinski rounded out the Falcons' list of stat leaders with six blocks (one solo, five assisted).

Pennington put down a kill for the match's opening point and the two teams traded the next several points during a span that ended in a tie at eight-all. Backed by five kills from Ssozi (three) and Keith (two), Air Force scored nine of the next 11 points to take a 17-10 advantage and force the Cowgirls to use both of their timeouts. Budzinski, who teamed up with Pennington for a block during the earlier run, added a kill, while scores from Ssozi (two), Miksch, Medill and Keith gave Air Force the 25-21 win.

A kill and ace from Medill, as well as three straight scores from Ssozi, helped Air Force jump out to an early 6-1 lead in the second. The Falcons hung on to their five-point lead behind kills from Miksch (10-5), Medill (11-6), Ssozi (13-8) and Keith (16-11), but Wyoming climbed back into the set, using an 8-3 run to tie the score at 19. The teams traded the next few points, with Ssozi (20-19) and Pennington (21-20) putting down kills to keep Air Force in the lead. The Falcons extended their advantage to two (22-20) behind a block by Budzinski and Ssozi, but Wyoming scored five of the final six points for the 25-23 win.

Conlan notched her 100th ace at the 3-4 mark in the third set, but Wyoming jumped out to the early 12-6 lead. Miksch and Pennington tallied kills, while three-straight errors by the Cowgirls quickly brought the Falcons back within one (11-12). Wyoming scored three of the next four points, but kills from Pennington and Budzinski, as well as a service ace from Medill, saw Air Force even the set at 15. Wyoming took a two-point lead two plays later and, despite a pair of kills from both Pennington and Miksch, the Cowgirls recorded another 25-23 victory and took the 2-1 lead in the match.

Back-to-back kills from Pennington and Conlan's second ace of the afternoon, helped Air Force take a fast 5-1 lead in the fourth set, but Wyoming returned the run to even the score at seven. The squads traded the next several points, with Air Force earning set-tying points from Miksch (kill at 9-9), Pennington/Medill (block at 11-11) and Medill (kills at 13-13, 14-14). Budzinski broke the back-and-forth action with consecutive blocks (solo, assisted with Pennington) and helped Air Force take a three-point lead (20-17). King registered a service ace, while kills from Pennington and Keith allowed the Falcons to even the match with a 25-22 victory and force the second five-set match of the season between the two schools.

A kill by Pennington helped Air Force take a 2-0 lead in the deciding set, while another score by the senior evened the set at three. Following a tie at four-all, Wyoming scored six of the next seven points to double up the Falcons at the 10-5 mark. Miksch (two) and Pennington registered kills during the final plays, but Wyoming captured the 15-8 victory in the fifth and the 3-2 victory in the match.

Air Force heads back out on the road next week, when they travel to Nevada (Nov. 8) and San Jose State (No. 10) for its final two-match road swing of the season.

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