Thursday, November 8
Reno, Nev.
7:30 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
14-14, 4-10
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Nevada
8-19, 1-15
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Air Force
25
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15
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Nevada
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Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Falcons Snap Skid with Thrilling 3-2 Win Over Nevada
11/9/2018 12:44:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Elizabeth Pennington tallied 15 kills, four service aces and four blocks during the Falcons' win.
RENO, Nev. – Seniors Abigail Miksch and Elizabeth Pennington paced the Air Force volleyball team to a thrilling 3-2 win over Nevada this evening (Nov. 8) in Reno – a victory that snapped a six-match skid in conference play for the Falcons. Air Force returned to .500 on the season (14-14) with the 25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13 victory over the host Wolfpack.
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Miksch tallied a team-leading 18 kills on .359 hitting (18k-3e-29a), while Pennington chipped in 15 on .200 hitting (15k-5e-50a). Pennington also tallied half of the Falcons' eight service aces and added four blocks (one solo, three assisted), as the pair accounted for 33 of the team's 53 kills. Sophomore Andi Ahlers, who tallied a pair of aces on the night, registered a team-high 24 assists, while classmate Alex King collected 19 digs and led a quartet of Falcons (junior Denise Ssozi: 13, senior Sarah Hellman: 11, senior Shanleigh Conlan: 10) to double-digit dig totals. Sophomore Kathleen Medill and freshman Bailey Keith rounded out the Falcons' list of statistical leaders, as the pair posted blocking totals of seven and six, respectively.
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Keith put down the night's opening kill and added two more scores (kill, assisted block with senior Lauren Heldt), as Air Force took an early 4-3 lead. Heldt and Miksch added kills as the Falcons to keep the Falcons up one (6-5), but the Wolfpack scored the next five points to take a 10-6 lead. Pennington put down a kill to stop the run and a service ace pulled Air Force within one (9-10), while four errors by Nevada gave the Falcons a 13-12 advantage. Miksch put down a pair of scores during a 7-3 run by the Wolfpack that pushed the home team's lead to three (19-16). Pennington took over the set at that point, having a hand in six of the Falcons' final nine points with two blocks (one solo, one with Heldt), three kills and one service ace, as Air Force closed the set on a 9-3 run to take the opening set by a 25-22 margin.
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Pennington continued her scoring streak in the second set, registering another ace for the Falcons' first offensive point (2-1). Kills from Miksch and Keith, as well as block from Ssozi and freshman Rachel Budzinski helped Air Force maintain the one-point lead (5-4). Backed by a pair of blocks from Medill (one with Ssozi, one with Pennington) and Ahlers' second ace, Air Force pushed its advantage to three (10-7). The Falcons kept that margin at the 11-8 mark, but the Wolfpack tied the set at 11 three plays later and took a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. Pennington (two) and Ssozi (one) tallied kills, but Nevada pushed its lead to three (21-18) and eventually evened the match with a 25-21 win.
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Ssozi put down a pair of kills, while a score from Pennington helped Air Force take the early 4-3 lead in the third set. The Wolfpack scored five of the next six points to go up 8-5, before Keith stopped their run with a kill. Nevada extended its lead to four (13-9), before Keith (two kills), Ssozi (kill) and Pennington (ace) helped Air Force even the set at 14. Miksch registered the Falcons' next three points, while strikes from Pennington (18-18, 19-19) and Ssozi (20-20) kept the scores tied. Backed by a pair of Medill/Keith blocks and another Medill kill, the Falcons closed out the set on a 5-1 run to take the 25-21 victory.
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Miksch put down a pair of kills, while a score from Ssozi helped Air Force even the set at six. A 3-0 run from Medill (kill), Pennington (kill) and Ssozi (ace) gave the Falcons a 9-7 lead, while additional scores from Pennington (10-8) and Miksch (11-9, 12-10) kept Air Force's advantage at two. Nevada evened the set at 13, but Pennington registered a pair of points (kill, block with Medill) to give Air Force the 16-14 lead. After another tie at 16, Medill and Keith teamed up for a block to regain the Falcons' two-point lead (18-16). Nevada scored the next three points to take the 19-18 lead and close out the set on a 5-1 run to earn the 25-22 win, forcing the Falcons into their 11th five-set match of the year.
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The two teams traded the first 10 points (5-5), with Miksch, Ssozi and three Nevada errors contributed to the Falcons' set-tying points. Air Force took its first lead at the 6-5 mark off of an ace by Conlan and the two teams traded four more scores (8-8). Nevada scored three-straight points to take 10-8 lead, but kills from Ssozi and Pennington returned the advantage to Air Force at the 11-10 mark. The Wolfpack took the next two points, but Pennington put down another score to tie the set at 12. Nevada regained the advantage on the next play, but recorded three straight errors to give Air Force the thrilling 15-13 victory and its first conference win since a 3-2 victory over the Wolfpack in mid-October.
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Air Force wraps up its road trip this Saturday (Nov. 10), when it travels to California for a conference contest with San Jose State at 2:00 p.m. (PT).
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Miksch tallied a team-leading 18 kills on .359 hitting (18k-3e-29a), while Pennington chipped in 15 on .200 hitting (15k-5e-50a). Pennington also tallied half of the Falcons' eight service aces and added four blocks (one solo, three assisted), as the pair accounted for 33 of the team's 53 kills. Sophomore Andi Ahlers, who tallied a pair of aces on the night, registered a team-high 24 assists, while classmate Alex King collected 19 digs and led a quartet of Falcons (junior Denise Ssozi: 13, senior Sarah Hellman: 11, senior Shanleigh Conlan: 10) to double-digit dig totals. Sophomore Kathleen Medill and freshman Bailey Keith rounded out the Falcons' list of statistical leaders, as the pair posted blocking totals of seven and six, respectively.
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Keith put down the night's opening kill and added two more scores (kill, assisted block with senior Lauren Heldt), as Air Force took an early 4-3 lead. Heldt and Miksch added kills as the Falcons to keep the Falcons up one (6-5), but the Wolfpack scored the next five points to take a 10-6 lead. Pennington put down a kill to stop the run and a service ace pulled Air Force within one (9-10), while four errors by Nevada gave the Falcons a 13-12 advantage. Miksch put down a pair of scores during a 7-3 run by the Wolfpack that pushed the home team's lead to three (19-16). Pennington took over the set at that point, having a hand in six of the Falcons' final nine points with two blocks (one solo, one with Heldt), three kills and one service ace, as Air Force closed the set on a 9-3 run to take the opening set by a 25-22 margin.
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Pennington continued her scoring streak in the second set, registering another ace for the Falcons' first offensive point (2-1). Kills from Miksch and Keith, as well as block from Ssozi and freshman Rachel Budzinski helped Air Force maintain the one-point lead (5-4). Backed by a pair of blocks from Medill (one with Ssozi, one with Pennington) and Ahlers' second ace, Air Force pushed its advantage to three (10-7). The Falcons kept that margin at the 11-8 mark, but the Wolfpack tied the set at 11 three plays later and took a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. Pennington (two) and Ssozi (one) tallied kills, but Nevada pushed its lead to three (21-18) and eventually evened the match with a 25-21 win.
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Ssozi put down a pair of kills, while a score from Pennington helped Air Force take the early 4-3 lead in the third set. The Wolfpack scored five of the next six points to go up 8-5, before Keith stopped their run with a kill. Nevada extended its lead to four (13-9), before Keith (two kills), Ssozi (kill) and Pennington (ace) helped Air Force even the set at 14. Miksch registered the Falcons' next three points, while strikes from Pennington (18-18, 19-19) and Ssozi (20-20) kept the scores tied. Backed by a pair of Medill/Keith blocks and another Medill kill, the Falcons closed out the set on a 5-1 run to take the 25-21 victory.
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Miksch put down a pair of kills, while a score from Ssozi helped Air Force even the set at six. A 3-0 run from Medill (kill), Pennington (kill) and Ssozi (ace) gave the Falcons a 9-7 lead, while additional scores from Pennington (10-8) and Miksch (11-9, 12-10) kept Air Force's advantage at two. Nevada evened the set at 13, but Pennington registered a pair of points (kill, block with Medill) to give Air Force the 16-14 lead. After another tie at 16, Medill and Keith teamed up for a block to regain the Falcons' two-point lead (18-16). Nevada scored the next three points to take the 19-18 lead and close out the set on a 5-1 run to earn the 25-22 win, forcing the Falcons into their 11th five-set match of the year.
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The two teams traded the first 10 points (5-5), with Miksch, Ssozi and three Nevada errors contributed to the Falcons' set-tying points. Air Force took its first lead at the 6-5 mark off of an ace by Conlan and the two teams traded four more scores (8-8). Nevada scored three-straight points to take 10-8 lead, but kills from Ssozi and Pennington returned the advantage to Air Force at the 11-10 mark. The Wolfpack took the next two points, but Pennington put down another score to tie the set at 12. Nevada regained the advantage on the next play, but recorded three straight errors to give Air Force the thrilling 15-13 victory and its first conference win since a 3-2 victory over the Wolfpack in mid-October.
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Air Force wraps up its road trip this Saturday (Nov. 10), when it travels to California for a conference contest with San Jose State at 2:00 p.m. (PT).
Team Stats
AF
NV
Kills
53
63
Errors
24
34
Attempts
172
184
Hitting %
.169
.158
Points
74.0
77.0
Assists
52
60
Aces
8
5
Blocks
13.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
15
Aces
4
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MH/MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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