Air Force Closes Homestand with 3-2 Loss to New Mexico

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team suffered its first loss of the conference season this afternoon (Sept. 30), as it closed out its 11-match homestand with a 3-2 loss to New Mexico at Cadet East Gym. The Falcons moved to 2-1 in the Mountain West (12-5 overall) with a 25-19, 17-25, 18-25, 25-23, 11-15 decision to the visiting Lobos.

Four Falcons – senior Elizabeth Pennington (16), senior Abigail Miksch (15), junior Denise Ssozi (13) and senior Lauren Heldt (11) – combined for 55 of the team's 63 total kills, while Ssozi (10) joined three other Falcons – sophomore Alex King (15), sophomore Andi Ahlers (14) and senior Shanleigh Conlan (10) – to produce the majority of the team's 65 digs. Pennington added three service aces, while Ahlers accounted for a team-high 28 assists and sophomore Cambria Galloway rounded out the Falcons' statistic leaders with seven total blocks (one solo, six assisted).

A kill and solo block from Galloway helped Air Force take the early 2-1 lead, while Heldt scored the Falcons' next four points to give Air Force a 6-4 advantage. Miksch and sophomore Kathleen Medill posted back-to-back kills, while a pair of New Mexico errors extended the Falcons' lead to five (10-5) and forced the Lobos into a timeout. Air Force scored six of the next nine points, highlighted by back-to-back kills from both Pennington and Ssozi, to double New Mexico up at the 16-8 mark. Air Force accounted for blocks on consecutive plays (Miksch/Galloway, Heldt/Medill) to go up nine (20-11), but the Lobos responded with a blocking run of their own to pull within three at the 20-17 mark. Miksch stopped their run with a pair of kills, while Ssozi (two) and Pennington (one) recorded kills to give Air Force the 25-19 victory.

Pennington put down the opening point of the second set and the two squads traded the next few points, before New Mexico strung together three-straight points to take a 6-4 lead. The Lobos pushed their advantage to five at the 13-8 mark, before kills from Heldt and Miksch brought the Falcons back within three (13-10). The Lobos returned their advantage to five four plays later (16-11) and extended it to seven at the 20-13. Ssozi, Pennington and Miksch added kills, but New Mexico took the match with a 25-17 win.

A kill by Ssozi opened the third set, but New Mexico quickly responded with the next four points (4-1). Air Heldt (two), Medill (one) and Conlan (one) added kills, while scores from Ssozi evened the set at eight- and again at nine-all. New Mexico used a 7-0 run to go up 16-9, before Heldt and freshman Rachel Budzinski teamed up for a block to end their run. The Falcons received an ace from Ssozi and multiple kills from Miksch (three) and Pennington (two), but New Mexico captured the third set by a 25-18 score.

The Lobos put down the opening point of the fourth set and the teams traded points, before Heldt tallied a kill and teamed up with Galloway for a block to break the back-and-forth action – and a five-all tie. Pennington put down a pair of kills and added an ace, as Air Force pushed its lead to seven (13-6). The Lobos answered with 12 of the next 14 points to take an 18-15 lead. Following a kill from Miksch and a block from Medill and Ssozi, Pennington put down a score to tie the set at 19. Medill (20-20) and Pennington (21-21) registered set-tying kills, while Heldt and Galloway teamed up for a block that gave Air Force back the lead at the 22-21 mark. Kills from Pennington and Miksch secured the Falcons' victory at 25-23 and forced the squad's first five-set match of the conference season.

A kill from Heldt and a solo block from Medill gave Air Force the early 2-1 lead, but New Mexico scored the next nine points to take a 10-2 advantage. Medill stopped the run with another solo stop, while kills from Ssozi (two) and Pennington (one) cut into the Lobos' lead (12-7). Galloway teamed up with Miksch and Heldt for back-to-back blocks and Miksch added another score, but New Mexico took the set 15-11.

After spending the past month within the home confines of Cadet East Gym, the Falcons head out on the road next weekend for a pair of conference contests. Air Force will travel to Wyoming and Colorado State for back-to-back matches on Thursday and Friday (Oct. 4-5).

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