Thursday, September 19
USAFA
6:30 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
3-7
3
vs
1
Denver
5-4
1
2
3
4
F
Denver
18
19
25
12
1
Air Force
25
25
14
25
3
Photo by: Tyler Pounds, Oral Roberts
Air Force Takes Down Denver in Thursday Tilt
9/19/2019 9:23:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
A career-high 17 kills from BrookeLyn Messenger paced the Falcons to the 3-1 victory.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Backed by strong all-around hitting and timely blocks, the Air Force volleyball team downed in-state rival Denver by a 3-1 margin this evening (Sept. 19), during the opening night of action at the Thin Air Challenge. Out-hitting their tournament co-hosts by more than 100 points (.271-.165), the Falcons defeated the Pioneers 25-18, 25-19, 14-25, 25-12 at the Academy's Cadet East Gym.
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Freshman BrookeLyn Messenger posted a match-high 17 kills on .353 hitting (17-5-34), while senior Denise Ssozi added 14 scores on .382 hitting (14-1-34) and freshman Taleah Cooper collected eight scores on a match-high .438 performance (8-1-16). Messenger and junior Alex King tied for the team lead in digs, with 21 apiece, while junior Andi Ahlers (11) and sophomore Bailey Keith (10) also accounted for double-digit dig totals. Ahlers, whose 41 assists equaled that of the entire DU squad, collected her fourth double-double of the year and added a match-high two service aces. Junior Cambria Galloway led all players with five blocks, including a solo stop in the fourth set, while Messenger and Ssozi each tallied three.
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Air Force jumped out to an early 3-1 lead following kills from Ssozi, Messenger and Galloway, while additional scores from Messenger and Ssozi helped the Falcons take a three-point lead at the 10-7 mark. The Pioneers evened the score at 10, but Messenger and Galloway teamed up for the Falcons' first block of the night during a 4-1 run by the Falcons that pushed the lead back to three (14-11). Ssozi put down a kill and teamed up with Galloway for back-to-back blocks, while a service ace from Ahlers pushed the Falcons' lead to four at the 22-16 mark. Galloway, who registered a kill to put the Falcons at set point, assisted Messenger on a block that secured the 25-18 victory for Air Force.
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Ssozi struck first in the second, while Messenger and Keith put down scores that evened the set at three. Air Force retook the lead on the ensuing point off of a Cooper/Ahlers block, while kills from Messenger and Ssozi pushed the Falcons advantage out to four (9-5). Messenger registered another pair of kills, while Ahlers and Cooper extended Air Force's margin to seven (18-11). After benefitting from several miscues by the Pioneers, Galloway and Messenger (two) put down kills to give Air Force the 25-19 victory.
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Denver took the early lead in the third, but three-straight points from Messenger (two kills, one solo block) gave Air Force the 5-4 lead. Cooper, Ahlers and Galloway collected kills that helped the Falcons maintain their one-point lead (8-7), but the Pioneers scored eight of the next nine points to take a 15-9 lead. Ssozi, Cooper, Messenger and sophomore Vittoria Juarez added kills, but Denver earned the 25-14 win.
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The two squads traded points to open the fourth set, with Air Force earning its points from Ssozi, Galloway, Cooper and Messenger. Another score by Ssozi tied the set at six and sparked a 10-1 that pushed Air Force out to a 15-7 lead. Keith tallied two kills during the Falcons' run, while King and Ahlers each tallied a service ace and Galloway made a solo block. A score from Ssozi allowed Air Force to double up the Pioneers by a 16-8 mark, while a score from Cooper pushed the Falcons' advantage to 10 (20-10). Back-to-back kills from Ssozi gave Air Force the 25-12 victory.
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With the win, Air Force nabbed its first home win of the season and snapped a three-game losing streak to their rivals to the north. The Falcons (3-7) return to action tomorrow (Sept 20) night, when it hosts Montana in the second match of the Thin Air Challenge.
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Freshman BrookeLyn Messenger posted a match-high 17 kills on .353 hitting (17-5-34), while senior Denise Ssozi added 14 scores on .382 hitting (14-1-34) and freshman Taleah Cooper collected eight scores on a match-high .438 performance (8-1-16). Messenger and junior Alex King tied for the team lead in digs, with 21 apiece, while junior Andi Ahlers (11) and sophomore Bailey Keith (10) also accounted for double-digit dig totals. Ahlers, whose 41 assists equaled that of the entire DU squad, collected her fourth double-double of the year and added a match-high two service aces. Junior Cambria Galloway led all players with five blocks, including a solo stop in the fourth set, while Messenger and Ssozi each tallied three.
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Air Force jumped out to an early 3-1 lead following kills from Ssozi, Messenger and Galloway, while additional scores from Messenger and Ssozi helped the Falcons take a three-point lead at the 10-7 mark. The Pioneers evened the score at 10, but Messenger and Galloway teamed up for the Falcons' first block of the night during a 4-1 run by the Falcons that pushed the lead back to three (14-11). Ssozi put down a kill and teamed up with Galloway for back-to-back blocks, while a service ace from Ahlers pushed the Falcons' lead to four at the 22-16 mark. Galloway, who registered a kill to put the Falcons at set point, assisted Messenger on a block that secured the 25-18 victory for Air Force.
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Ssozi struck first in the second, while Messenger and Keith put down scores that evened the set at three. Air Force retook the lead on the ensuing point off of a Cooper/Ahlers block, while kills from Messenger and Ssozi pushed the Falcons advantage out to four (9-5). Messenger registered another pair of kills, while Ahlers and Cooper extended Air Force's margin to seven (18-11). After benefitting from several miscues by the Pioneers, Galloway and Messenger (two) put down kills to give Air Force the 25-19 victory.
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Denver took the early lead in the third, but three-straight points from Messenger (two kills, one solo block) gave Air Force the 5-4 lead. Cooper, Ahlers and Galloway collected kills that helped the Falcons maintain their one-point lead (8-7), but the Pioneers scored eight of the next nine points to take a 15-9 lead. Ssozi, Cooper, Messenger and sophomore Vittoria Juarez added kills, but Denver earned the 25-14 win.
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The two squads traded points to open the fourth set, with Air Force earning its points from Ssozi, Galloway, Cooper and Messenger. Another score by Ssozi tied the set at six and sparked a 10-1 that pushed Air Force out to a 15-7 lead. Keith tallied two kills during the Falcons' run, while King and Ahlers each tallied a service ace and Galloway made a solo block. A score from Ssozi allowed Air Force to double up the Pioneers by a 16-8 mark, while a score from Cooper pushed the Falcons' advantage to 10 (20-10). Back-to-back kills from Ssozi gave Air Force the 25-12 victory.
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With the win, Air Force nabbed its first home win of the season and snapped a three-game losing streak to their rivals to the north. The Falcons (3-7) return to action tomorrow (Sept 20) night, when it hosts Montana in the second match of the Thin Air Challenge.
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Team Stats
Denver
USAFA
Kills
46
52
Errors
23
16
Attempts
139
133
Hitting %
.165
.271
Points
54
63
Assists
41
50
Aces
3
3
Blocks
5
8
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB/OPP
/ Women's VolleyballRS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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