
Photo by: Trevor Cokley
Falcons Fall to Fresno State on the Road
11/16/2019 7:39:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
FRESNO, Calif. – The Air Force volleyball team closed out the road portion of its season with a 3-0 loss to Fresno State this afternoon (Nov. 16) in Fresno. The Falcons' 23-25, 13-25, 22-25 defeat at the Save Mart Center snapped a five-match winning streak over the Bulldogs that dated back to 2016.
Â
Sophomore Bailey Keith led all players with 12 kills on .522 hitting, as she didn't commit any errors on 23 attempts. With one solo and one assisted stop, Keith also tied with junior Cambria Galloway (two assisted) for a team-high two blocks. Junior Jordan Daniels registered a team-leading eight digs, while sophomore Lily Landis rounded out the Falcons' stat leaders with 32 assists and two service aces.
Â
Air Force earned the opening point off of an early Bulldog error, while a pair of kills from sophomore Vittoria Juarez helped the Falcons tie the set at four. The sophomore added her third kill of the Falcons' first five points (5-7), while scores from Keith and junior Mackenzie Robertson kept the Falcons within two (9-11). The Bulldogs pushed their lead to four (9-13) two plays later, but the Falcons responded with six of the next seven points to take a 15-14 lead. Keith registered a kill and both blocks during the run, while Galloway, who assisted with Keith on one of the blocks, and senior Denise Ssozi added kills. Air Force held a one-point advantage off of kills from freshman BrookeLyn Messenger (16-15) and Ssozi (18-17), but Fresno State rattled off five straight points to go up 22-18. A pair of service aces from Landis and a kill from Keith helped the Falcons tie the set at 22, but the Bulldogs closed the set on a 3-1 run to take the opening set by a narrow 25-23 margin.
Â
Ssozi and Juarez tallied kills to open the second set, but Fresno State rolled out to a fast 15-4 advantage. Freshman Sarah Markwardt put down a kill to stop the Bulldogs' run and spark a 5-0 run by the Falcons that included two kills and an assisted block from fellow freshman Taleah Cooper (9-15). Fresno State scored four of the next five points to push its lead out to nine (10-19). Keith registered the Falcons' final three points, as Air Force dropped the second set 25-13.
Â
Keith continued her scoring streak in the third, as she accounted for the Falcons' first three points. Another strike by Markwardt helped Air Force take a 4-2 lead, but a three-point run by the Bulldogs gave Fresno State the 5-4 lead. Ssozi accounted for a set-tying kill at six-all, while scores from Robertson (8-9) and Keith (9-10, 10-11) kept Air Force within one. Fresno State used a 7-1 run to take an 18-11 lead, before the Falcons responded with their own 5-1 run to pull within three (16-19). Freshman BrookeLyn Messenger (ace) and Galloway (kill) tallied individual points during the run, while also teaming up for a block. Air Force stayed within three behind kills from Ssozi (17-20) and Keith (18-21), but Fresno State extended its advantage to six with a 3-0 run (18-24). Air Force held the Bulldogs at match-point and pulled within two (22-24) during a 4-0 run that included kills from Ssozi and Messenger, but Fresno State put down the final point for the match-winning 25-22 victory.
Â
Air Force wraps up the 2019 campaign next weekend with a pair of conference matches. The Falcons will host New Mexico on Thursday, Nov. 21, before welcoming UNLV to Cadet East Gym on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Â
Sophomore Bailey Keith led all players with 12 kills on .522 hitting, as she didn't commit any errors on 23 attempts. With one solo and one assisted stop, Keith also tied with junior Cambria Galloway (two assisted) for a team-high two blocks. Junior Jordan Daniels registered a team-leading eight digs, while sophomore Lily Landis rounded out the Falcons' stat leaders with 32 assists and two service aces.
Â
Air Force earned the opening point off of an early Bulldog error, while a pair of kills from sophomore Vittoria Juarez helped the Falcons tie the set at four. The sophomore added her third kill of the Falcons' first five points (5-7), while scores from Keith and junior Mackenzie Robertson kept the Falcons within two (9-11). The Bulldogs pushed their lead to four (9-13) two plays later, but the Falcons responded with six of the next seven points to take a 15-14 lead. Keith registered a kill and both blocks during the run, while Galloway, who assisted with Keith on one of the blocks, and senior Denise Ssozi added kills. Air Force held a one-point advantage off of kills from freshman BrookeLyn Messenger (16-15) and Ssozi (18-17), but Fresno State rattled off five straight points to go up 22-18. A pair of service aces from Landis and a kill from Keith helped the Falcons tie the set at 22, but the Bulldogs closed the set on a 3-1 run to take the opening set by a narrow 25-23 margin.
Â
Ssozi and Juarez tallied kills to open the second set, but Fresno State rolled out to a fast 15-4 advantage. Freshman Sarah Markwardt put down a kill to stop the Bulldogs' run and spark a 5-0 run by the Falcons that included two kills and an assisted block from fellow freshman Taleah Cooper (9-15). Fresno State scored four of the next five points to push its lead out to nine (10-19). Keith registered the Falcons' final three points, as Air Force dropped the second set 25-13.
Â
Keith continued her scoring streak in the third, as she accounted for the Falcons' first three points. Another strike by Markwardt helped Air Force take a 4-2 lead, but a three-point run by the Bulldogs gave Fresno State the 5-4 lead. Ssozi accounted for a set-tying kill at six-all, while scores from Robertson (8-9) and Keith (9-10, 10-11) kept Air Force within one. Fresno State used a 7-1 run to take an 18-11 lead, before the Falcons responded with their own 5-1 run to pull within three (16-19). Freshman BrookeLyn Messenger (ace) and Galloway (kill) tallied individual points during the run, while also teaming up for a block. Air Force stayed within three behind kills from Ssozi (17-20) and Keith (18-21), but Fresno State extended its advantage to six with a 3-0 run (18-24). Air Force held the Bulldogs at match-point and pulled within two (22-24) during a 4-0 run that included kills from Ssozi and Messenger, but Fresno State put down the final point for the match-winning 25-22 victory.
Â
Air Force wraps up the 2019 campaign next weekend with a pair of conference matches. The Falcons will host New Mexico on Thursday, Nov. 21, before welcoming UNLV to Cadet East Gym on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Team Stats
AF
FS
Kills
36
42
Errors
20
14
Attempts
107
102
Hitting %
.150
.275
Points
43.0
56.0
Assists
34
40
Aces
3
6
Blocks
4.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Macey Donathan Interview Sept 30, 2025
Tuesday, September 30
Falcons open up MW play with sweep of Nevada
Thursday, September 25
Macey Donathan Interview Sept 23, 2025
Tuesday, September 23
Utah Tech gives Falcons a loss in four sets
Saturday, September 20