Thursday, September 26
USAFA
6:30 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
3
vs
1
Utah State
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Players Mentioned
MB/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMacey 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
