Air Force Sweeps McNeese State in Home Opener

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team opened the home portion of its season with a 3-0 victory over McNeese State on Monday, Sept. 3, at the Academy. The Falcons improved to 5-2 on the year, after posting a 25-19, 27-25, 28-26 win over the visiting Cowgirls.

Senior Elizabeth Pennington led all players with 15 kills, while classmates Sarah Hellman and Shanleigh Conlan paced the Falcons in digs (13) and assists (20). Sophomore Cambria Galloway registered a team-high three blocks (all assisted), while classmate Jordan Daniels earned a pair of service aces and junior Denise Ssozi notched her fifth-straight double-double, with 11 kills and 12 digs.

Galloway put down the match's opening point and added another kill as Air Force took an early 5-3 lead. The Falcons pushed their advantage to seven during a 4-0 run that featured a kill and service ace from sophomore Kathleen Medill, as well as a block by Galloway and senior Abigail Miksch. Another 4-0 run, which included a kill from Pennington, gave the Falcons a 17-8 lead. Ssozi (two), Miksch (two) and Conlan (one) added kills, as the Falcons took the opening set by a 25-19 margin.

Backed by three kills apiece from Pennington and Ssozi, the Falcons scored nine of the first 11 points to start the second set. Air Force pushed its lead to eight twice (13-5, 14-6) behind points from freshman Bailey Keith (kill), sophomore Andi Ahlers (kill), Galloway (ace) and freshman Rachel Budzinski (kill), while a score from Pennington gave the Falcons an 11-point cushion (20-9). Ahlers, Keith and Budzinski all registered kills that put the Falcons at set point, but McNeese State rattled off the next 12 points to even the set at 24-all. Pennington stopped the Cowgirls' run with a kill, while she and Ssozi registered back-to-back points to give Air Force the 27-25 victory.

The squads traded the opening points of the third set, before a kill from Pennington sparked a 6-0 Air Force run that included another kill from Keith and both of Daniels' service aces (8-3). McNeese State evened the set at nine, but Ssozi tallied a kill and teamed up with Galloway for a block that pushed the Falcons' lead back to three (12-9). Back-to-back kills from Pennington kept Air Force's advantage at three (15-12), while a Keith/Medill block helped the Falcons take a two-point lead at 18-16. McNeese State evened the set again at 19, but Conlan teamed up with Galloway for a block and registered a kill to put the Falcons at match point (24-20). Again, the Cowgirls used a late set run to tie the set at 24 and take their first lead of the match on the next point. A kill by Ssozi stopped their run and tied the set at 25, while three straight scores from Pennington (two kills, block with Medill) gave Air Force the 28-26 victory.

Air Force returns to action this weekend, when it hosts the annual Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic. The Falcons open the three-day tournament against CSU Bakersfield on Thursday, Sept. 6, at 7:00 p.m. (MT). Air Force will face Valparaiso and Cal Baptist on Friday, Sept. 7, before closing out the weekend against Presbyterian on Saturday, Sept. 8.

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