Air Force Earns Comeback Win over San Diego State

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team improved to .500 in Mountain West action this afternoon (Oct. 19), as it claimed a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over San Diego State at the Academy's Cadet East Gym. With the 25-13, 15-25, 16-25, 25-22, 15-11 win, Air Force collected its fourth conference victory of the season and matched the program record for the most wins during the first half of a MW season (1999).

During the contest, senior Denise Ssozi set a new Air Force record for career double-doubles at the Division I level. After matching Delavane Diaz's 16-year-old program standard of 29 on Thursday night, Ssozi broke it this afternoon – recording 19 kills and 11 digs for the 30th double-double of her career.

The senior's 19-kill performance led all players on either side of the net, while junior Cambria Galloway (13) and sophomore Bailey Keith (12) also accounted for double-digit kill totals. Galloway led the Falcons with a .385 average, as she only committed three errors on her 26 attempts, while Keith hit at a .321 clip with just three errors on 28 swings. Junior Andi Ahlers recorded the first 50-assist match of her career, while also tying with classmate Jordan Daniels for a match-high three service aces that helped Air Force out-ace the Aztecs by a 9-1 margin. Defensively, the Falcons were led by junior Alex King, who collected 19 digs, and freshman Taleah Cooper, who accounted for four blocks, including a solo stop.

Backed by kills from Ssozi, Galloway and sophomore Vittoria Juarez, Air Force took an early 5-2 lead to start the match. A kill by Keith (6-3), a block from Cooper and Ahlers (8-5) and a pair of kills from Ssozi (9-6, 11-8) kept the Falcons' lead at three, before back-to-back scores from Juarez pushed Air Force's lead out to four (14-10). San Diego State pulled back within three on the ensuing point, but the Falcons responded in dominating fashion – scoring 11 of the next 13 points to easily take the opening set by a 25-13 score. Ssozi tallied four kills during the Falcons' set-closing run, while Daniels (one) and classmate Kelly Motes (two) combined for three service aces.

Ssozi tallied the Falcons' first two points of the second set, while kills from Galloway and Cooper helped Air Force tie the set at four. San Diego State scored seven of the next eight points to take an 11-5 advantage and doubled the Falcons up at the 12-6 mark. The Aztecs continued their pressure and pushed their lead to 10 (20-10), despite kills from Keith, Galloway and Sarah Markwardt. The freshman (kill) and Ahlers (ace) held the visitors at set point, but San Diego State evened the match with the 25-15 win.

Cooper accounted for three of the Falcons' first five points in the third, but another long scoring run by the Aztecs put Air Force at an early 7-16 disadvantage. A pair of kills from Keith, as well as a service ace from sophomore Victoria Lambos, put the Falcons in double figures at the 10-17 mark. Ssozi added two more kills, while Keith and sophomore Lily Landis also accounted for scores, but San Diego State took the match lead with the 25-16 set victory.

The Falcons took a quick 3-0 lead to start the fourth, as kills from Keith and Juarez bookended another ace by Daniels, but the Aztecs responded with the next three points to tie the set. Another 3-0 run by the Falcons – backed by a kill and a solo block from Ssozi – helped Air Force retake a three-point advantage (7-4). Keith and Galloway each tallied a pair of kills, as the Falcons pushed their lead to five (12-7). San Diego State pulled within one at the 15-14 mark and used another four-point run to take its first lead of the set at the 18-17 mark. Galloway stopped their run to tie the set at 18, while an ace from Ahlers and a kill from Ssozi on the next two plays gave Air Force the lead back at 20-18. Galloway added two more scores and back-to-back kills from Keith and Juarez gave Air Force the 25-22 win and forced a fifth set.

San Diego State jumped out to a fast 5-2 lead in the deciding frame, but scores from Cooper (kill), Ssozi (kill) and Ahlers (ace) helped Air Force pull within one (7-8) at the break. A kill from Galloway tied the set at eight, while a strike from Keith evened the score at nine and sparked a 4-0 run by the Falcons that included a solo block from Cooper and another ace from Daniels. The Aztecs scored two of the next three points, but a Ssozi kill and an Ahlers/Juarez block secured the 15-11 victory for Air Force.

The Falcons close out the first half of the Mountain West season next week, when they head out on the road for contests at UNLV (Oct. 24) and New Mexico (Oct. 26).

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