Thursday, September 26
USAFA
6:30 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
4-9,0-1MWC
3
vs
1
Utah State
0-14,0-2MWC
1
2
3
4
F
Utah St.
18
25
19
20
1
Air Force
25
19
25
25
3
Photo by: Tyler Pounds, Oral Roberts
Falcons Defeat Utah State in MW Opener
9/26/2019 11:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Air Force won its conference-opener for just the fourth time at the Division I level.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. –  The Air Force volleyball team kicked off the Mountain West season with a convincing 3-1 victory over Utah State this evening (Sept. 26) at the Academy. Outhitting the Aggies by 70 points and holding a 23-kill advantage over their visitors, the Falcons claimed the 25-18, 19-25, 25-19, 25-20 victory to open conference play 1-0 for just the fourth time in the program's Division I history.
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In her first collegiate start, sophomore Lily Landis collected a career-high 45 assists and set Air Force to a .244 hitting performance – its third-highest average of the season. In addition to posting a personal-best tally in assists, the sophomore added career-best marks in kills (three), digs (seven) and blocks (two), while equaling her career-high with one of the team's seven service aces.
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Senior Denise Ssozi registered her first 20-kill outing of the season – and the third of her career – as she became the seventh Air Force player at the Division I level to surpass 1000 kills in a career. Ssozi, who notched her 26th career double-double after adding 14 digs to her 20-kill performance, tied with freshman BrookeLyn Messenger for a match-leading two aces. Ssozi was one of two Falcons to register double-digit kills (sophomore Bailey Keith, 13) and one of three to reach double-digit digs (junior Alex King, match-high 16; Messenger, 10). Freshman Taleah Cooper rounded out the Falcons' list of stat leaders with three assisted blocks.
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Ssozi and junior Mackenzie Robertson combined for the Falcons' first four points of the match, tallying back-to-back scores to give Air Force a pair of two-point leads (2-0, 4-2). Utah State evened the set at four, while the teams traded the next four points. Landis and sophomore Vittoria Juarez put down kills to break the six-all tied and put Air Force up three (9-6), but the Aggies scored four of the next five points to tie the score at 10. Ssozi broke the 11-11 tie and sparked a 9-2 run by the Falcons that include a four points from Juarez (three kills, one solo block), two points from Robertson (kill, ace) and two kills from Keith. The Falcons maintained a nine-point lead off of kills from Cooper (22-13), Messenger (23-14) and Ssozi (24-15), while another strike by Messenger gave Air Force the 25-18 victory.
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Keith put down another pair of kills in the opening moments of the second set, but Utah State jumped out to an early 9-5 lead. Kills from Cooper, Ssozi and Robertson, as well as an ace from Landis, brought the Falcons within two (9-11), but the Aggies pushed their advantage out to six (18-12). Freshman Sarah Markwardt tallied her first kill of the match, while kills from Keith bookended an ace from Ssozi, but Utah State evened the match with a 25-19 win.
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Scores from Ssozi (kill, ace) and junior Cambria Galloway (kill) helped Air Force take the early 3-1 lead, while a Cooper/Keith block and a Messenger kill pushed the Falcons' advantage to three (5-2). Following a back-and-forth stretch that included kills from Ssozi (two) and Keith (one), Air Force used a 5-1 run to take a seven-point lead (18-11). Messenger, Ssozi and Cooper all tallied kills during that run, while a pair of kills from Galloway halted a short run by the Aggies and put the Falcons up 20-15. Keith tallied a kill and teamed up with Galloway for a block, before putting down the final kill that gave Air Force the 25-19 win.
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Utah State took the early lead to start the fourth, but Air Force roared back during a 6-0 run that included multiple points from Messenger (kill, ace), a solo stop from Ssozi and a block from Landis and Cooper. Air Force held an 8-3 lead following that run, but the Aggies scored six of the next seven to even the set at nine. A kill from Keith broke a 12-all tie and started an 8-1 run by the Falcons that pushed their lead to seven (20-13). Cooper tallied a kill and teamed up with Landis for another block during the run, while Messenger also accounted for a score. Ssozi scored the Falcons' final three offensive points, including the game-winning strike at the 25-20 mark.
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With the win, the Falcons have opened the conference season 1-0 four times at the Division I level – 2003, 2014, 2018, 2019 – and Keith Barnett is the Falcons' first DI coach to win their initial conference match.
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Air Force returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 28) afternoon, when it travels to Boise State for another conference match – and its first match away from the Academy in three weeks.
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In her first collegiate start, sophomore Lily Landis collected a career-high 45 assists and set Air Force to a .244 hitting performance – its third-highest average of the season. In addition to posting a personal-best tally in assists, the sophomore added career-best marks in kills (three), digs (seven) and blocks (two), while equaling her career-high with one of the team's seven service aces.
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Senior Denise Ssozi registered her first 20-kill outing of the season – and the third of her career – as she became the seventh Air Force player at the Division I level to surpass 1000 kills in a career. Ssozi, who notched her 26th career double-double after adding 14 digs to her 20-kill performance, tied with freshman BrookeLyn Messenger for a match-leading two aces. Ssozi was one of two Falcons to register double-digit kills (sophomore Bailey Keith, 13) and one of three to reach double-digit digs (junior Alex King, match-high 16; Messenger, 10). Freshman Taleah Cooper rounded out the Falcons' list of stat leaders with three assisted blocks.
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Ssozi and junior Mackenzie Robertson combined for the Falcons' first four points of the match, tallying back-to-back scores to give Air Force a pair of two-point leads (2-0, 4-2). Utah State evened the set at four, while the teams traded the next four points. Landis and sophomore Vittoria Juarez put down kills to break the six-all tied and put Air Force up three (9-6), but the Aggies scored four of the next five points to tie the score at 10. Ssozi broke the 11-11 tie and sparked a 9-2 run by the Falcons that include a four points from Juarez (three kills, one solo block), two points from Robertson (kill, ace) and two kills from Keith. The Falcons maintained a nine-point lead off of kills from Cooper (22-13), Messenger (23-14) and Ssozi (24-15), while another strike by Messenger gave Air Force the 25-18 victory.
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Keith put down another pair of kills in the opening moments of the second set, but Utah State jumped out to an early 9-5 lead. Kills from Cooper, Ssozi and Robertson, as well as an ace from Landis, brought the Falcons within two (9-11), but the Aggies pushed their advantage out to six (18-12). Freshman Sarah Markwardt tallied her first kill of the match, while kills from Keith bookended an ace from Ssozi, but Utah State evened the match with a 25-19 win.
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Scores from Ssozi (kill, ace) and junior Cambria Galloway (kill) helped Air Force take the early 3-1 lead, while a Cooper/Keith block and a Messenger kill pushed the Falcons' advantage to three (5-2). Following a back-and-forth stretch that included kills from Ssozi (two) and Keith (one), Air Force used a 5-1 run to take a seven-point lead (18-11). Messenger, Ssozi and Cooper all tallied kills during that run, while a pair of kills from Galloway halted a short run by the Aggies and put the Falcons up 20-15. Keith tallied a kill and teamed up with Galloway for a block, before putting down the final kill that gave Air Force the 25-19 win.
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Utah State took the early lead to start the fourth, but Air Force roared back during a 6-0 run that included multiple points from Messenger (kill, ace), a solo stop from Ssozi and a block from Landis and Cooper. Air Force held an 8-3 lead following that run, but the Aggies scored six of the next seven to even the set at nine. A kill from Keith broke a 12-all tie and started an 8-1 run by the Falcons that pushed their lead to seven (20-13). Cooper tallied a kill and teamed up with Landis for another block during the run, while Messenger also accounted for a score. Ssozi scored the Falcons' final three offensive points, including the game-winning strike at the 25-20 mark.
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With the win, the Falcons have opened the conference season 1-0 four times at the Division I level – 2003, 2014, 2018, 2019 – and Keith Barnett is the Falcons' first DI coach to win their initial conference match.
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Air Force returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 28) afternoon, when it travels to Boise State for another conference match – and its first match away from the Academy in three weeks.
Team Stats
USU
USAFA
Kills
41
63
Errors
18
26
Attempts
132
155
Hitting %
.174
.239
Points
53
76
Assists
39
59
Aces
2
6
Blocks
10
7
Game Leaders
Kills
20
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's VolleyballOH/RS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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