Air Force Falls to Boise State in MW Road Match

BOISE, Idaho – The Air Force volleyball team suffered its first road loss of the season this afternoon (Sept. 28), as it dropped a 3-1 decision to Boise State in Idaho. Despite out-killing the host Broncos by a 58-51 margin, the Falcons fell to 1-1 in conference play with the 18-25, 26-24, 22-25, 19-25 loss.

Freshman BrookeLyn Messenger tallied a team-high 13 kills – the second-highest output on either site of the net – to lead a trio of Falcons in double-digit kill totals. Junior Cambria Galloway collected 11 kills on .318 hitting (11-4-22), while sophomore Vittoria Juarez added 10. Messenger also accounted for four of the team's seven service aces, while the Falcons added points off of multiple blocks from senior Denise Ssozi (two – one solo, one assisted) and sophomore Bailey Keith (two – both assisted). Junior Alex King (22) and Juarez (10) combined for nearly half of the team's 65 digs, while junior Andi Ahlers rounded out the Falcons' scoring leaders with her third 40-assist outing of the season.

Ssozi put down a kill to open the match, while scores from Keith and Messenger helped Air Force even the set at five. Another strike by Ssozi tied the score at eight, but the Broncos rattled off four-straight points to go up 12-8. Juarez stopped their run with a kill coming out of an Air Force timeout, while a pair of strikes from Messenger came during a 4-0 run by the Falcons that pulled Air Force within two (15-17). A score from Juarez kept the score within two (17-19), but Boise State scored six of the final seven points to win the opening set by a 25-18 margin.

A kill and an ace from Messenger gave Air Force the early 3-1 lead to start the second, while a pair of scores from Galloway helped Air Force halt a 4-1 run by the Broncos and even the score at five. Freshman Taleah Cooper tallied the Falcons' next three points to give Air Force a 10-9 lead, while three-straight points from Juarez (kill), Galloway (kill) and King (ace) pushed the Falcons' advantage to three (13-10). Galloway (two) and Juarez (one) combined for three more kills (17-14), while a block from Ssozi and Cooper kept the Falcons' lead at three (19-16). Boise State tied the set at 21 and the two squads traded the next several points for ties on the next two points. The Broncos took the 24-23 lead, but another 3-0 run by the Falcons, which included a kill by Keith, gave Air Force the 26-24 victory.

Boise State took the early 6-2 lead in the third, before back-to-back scores from Messenger (kill, ace) and kills from Juarez and Cooper helped Air Force tie the set at six. Messenger collected another pair of kills and a service ace, but the Broncos retook the lead and extended it to 18-12. Boise State held a 20-14 lead, but five-straight Air Force points, which included a Keith/Galloway block, an Ahlers ace and kills from Juarez and Galloway, brought the Falcons within one (19-20). Keith added a kill and teamed up with Messenger for a block, but Boise State took the set 25-22.

The Broncos jumped out to a fast 5-1 start to open the fourth set, but back-to-back kills from Messenger and Cooper, as well as a service ace from sophomore Lily Landis, pulled the Falcons within one (4-5). Boise State used a 6-1 run to extend its lead to 11-5 and, despite kills from Galloway and Juarez, eventually pushed its advantage out to 17-9. The Falcons collected kills from Cooper and Messenger, while back-to-back scores from Galloway and a solo block from Ssozi highlighted a 4-0 run by the Falcons that pulled Air Force within three (18-21).Ssozi added another kill, but the Broncos scored four of the final five points for the 25-19 win.

Air Force returns to the Academy next week for a pair of Mountain West matches. The Falcons will host Wyoming on Thursday, Oct. 3, before welcoming 17th-ranked Colorado State to Cadet East Gym on Saturday, Oct. 5.

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