Saturday, September 7
Tulsa, Okla.
6:30 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
2-0
3
at
2
Oral Roberts
4-0
1
2
3
4
5
F
Air Force
25
24
26
17
15
3
Oral Roberts
22
26
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8
2
Photo by: Tyler Pounds, Oral Roberts
Falcons Claim 3-2 Road Win over Oral Roberts
9/7/2019 10:26:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Vittoria Juarez tallied four service aces, as the Falcons combined for 14 total scores at the line.
TULSA, Okla. – In its first true road contest of the season, the Air Force volleyball team captured a 3-2 victory over Oral Roberts this evening (Sept. 7) to finish second at the ORU Invitational. Backed by 14 service aces, the Falcons downed the Golden Eagles in 25-22, 24-26, 26-24, 17-25, 15-8 sets at the Cooper Aerobic Center in Tulsa.
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A four-ace outing by sophomore Vittoria Juarez paced the Falcons to 14 total aces on the night – a mark that registered as the second-highest single-match performance in Air Force's Division I history. Junior Andi Ahlers added three aces during the contest, while classmates Alex King, Kelly Motes and Mackenzie Robertson each accounted for two.
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Sophomore Bailey Keith and freshman BrookeLyn Messenger combined for 34 kills on the night, as Keith collected a match-leading 18 kills and Messenger added 16 on a team-high .323 hitting (16-6-31). Ahlers notched her second double-double of the day, with a career-high 49 assists and a 10 digs. King led all Falcons with 22 digs, while Motes added a personal-high 19. Keith and freshman Taleah Cooper rounded out Air Force's list of stat leaders, as the each assisted on a pair of blocks.
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Keith earned the opening point of the match, while three-straight aces by Juarez helped Air Force double-up the Golden Eagles by a 6-3 margin. The string of aces came during a 7-1 run by the Falcons that saw Robertson account for three kills, including a save on a ball that rattled around the rafters. A kill by Cooper and an ace by Ahlers helped the Falcons extend their lead to seven (12-5), while additional scores from Messenger (13-6), Cooper (14-7) and Keith (15-8) kept the seven-point advantage for Air Force. ORU cut the Falcons' lead to two at the 15-13 mark, but senior Denise Ssozi put down a pair of kills to push Air Force's lead back to four (18-14). Kills from Keith bookended another Ahlers' ace to extend the advantage to six (22-16), but Oral Roberts scored five of the next six points to pull back within two. A kill by Juarez stopped the Golden Eagles' run and a Robertson/Keith block gave Air Force the 25-22 victory.
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A kill from Keith helped Air Force jump out to the quick 4-0 lead to start the second, while an additional score by the sophomore and a kill from Robertson allowed the Falcons to keep the four-point lead (6-2). The Golden Eagles pulled within one (8-7), but Messenger (kill), Robertson (ace) and Ahlers (kill) pushed the Falcons back up by three (11-8). A three-point run by Oral Roberts evened the set at 11 and the two squads traded the next six points, with Messenger and Keith providing the Falcons' offense. Back-to-back kills from Messenger gave the lead back to Air Force at 17-16, but ORU responded once more to take the 19-18 advantage. Junior Cambria Galloway tallied a kill and solo block on consecutive plays, as Air Force retook the lead at 20-19 and pushed its advantage to two (23-21) off of a kill from Keith. However, Oral Roberts scored five of the final six points to even the match with a 26-24 set victory.
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Oral Roberts scored the first five points of the third set, before Galloway put the Falcons on the board with a kill. Her kill sparked a 5-1 run by the Falcons that included two kills from Keith and a service ace from King. Robertson put down a score that kept the Falcons within one (7-8), while Messenger (kill), Keith (kill) and Ahlers (ace) strung together three-straight points to give Air Force its first lead of the set at 11-10. The Falcons extended their lead to four behind a pair of kills (Robertson, Ssozi) and a pair of aces (King, Keith). The Falcons maintained the four-point advantage at the 18-14 mark, but Oral Roberts accounted for five of the next six points to tie the set at 19. Air Force broke the tie on the next play, while scores from Galloway and Keith pushed the lead back to three (22-19). Messenger added a kill at the 23-20 mark, but Oral Roberts tied the set at 23 – and again at 24 – before Motes put down a kill that helped the Falcons secure the 26-24 victory.
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The Falcons earned an early three-all tie in the fourth, after Keith registered a kill and an ace on back-to-back plays in the opening moments of the set. A point by Ahlers kept the score tied at four, but the Golden Eagles posted nine of the next 10 scores to take a 13-5 lead. Cooper collected a pair of kills to keep the Falcons within seven (7-14), while Ssozi added another pair to maintain that lead (10-17). Kills by Messenger bookended an ORU error, as the Falcons closed the gap to five (13-18). Air Force stayed within five off of kills from Messenger (14-19), Cooper (15-20), Keith (16-21) and Ssozi (17-22), but Oral Roberts scored the final three points to take the set 25-17 and force a fifth set.
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Back-to-back service aces from Motes highlighted a 4-0 start for the Falcons in the deciding set, which included kills from Cooper and Keith. Juarez added a pair of kills and a service ace, as Air Force switched sides holding an 8-4 advantage. Messenger tallied a kill and assisted on a block with Cooper, as the Falcons reached double figures at the 10-5 mark and forced the Golden Eagles into their second timeout. The freshmen pair of Cooper and Messenger added another set of kills, while Keith put down a kill and teamed up with Cooper for a block (14-6). ORU tallied the next two points, but Air Force forced the Golden Eagles into an attacking error that secured the 15-8 victory for the Falcons.
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After spending the first two weekends on the road, the Falcons open the home portion of the season next weekend, when they host Loyola Chicago, UC Irvine and Virginia Tech at the annual Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic on Sept. 13-14 inside the Academy's Cadet East Gym.
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A four-ace outing by sophomore Vittoria Juarez paced the Falcons to 14 total aces on the night – a mark that registered as the second-highest single-match performance in Air Force's Division I history. Junior Andi Ahlers added three aces during the contest, while classmates Alex King, Kelly Motes and Mackenzie Robertson each accounted for two.
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Sophomore Bailey Keith and freshman BrookeLyn Messenger combined for 34 kills on the night, as Keith collected a match-leading 18 kills and Messenger added 16 on a team-high .323 hitting (16-6-31). Ahlers notched her second double-double of the day, with a career-high 49 assists and a 10 digs. King led all Falcons with 22 digs, while Motes added a personal-high 19. Keith and freshman Taleah Cooper rounded out Air Force's list of stat leaders, as the each assisted on a pair of blocks.
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Keith earned the opening point of the match, while three-straight aces by Juarez helped Air Force double-up the Golden Eagles by a 6-3 margin. The string of aces came during a 7-1 run by the Falcons that saw Robertson account for three kills, including a save on a ball that rattled around the rafters. A kill by Cooper and an ace by Ahlers helped the Falcons extend their lead to seven (12-5), while additional scores from Messenger (13-6), Cooper (14-7) and Keith (15-8) kept the seven-point advantage for Air Force. ORU cut the Falcons' lead to two at the 15-13 mark, but senior Denise Ssozi put down a pair of kills to push Air Force's lead back to four (18-14). Kills from Keith bookended another Ahlers' ace to extend the advantage to six (22-16), but Oral Roberts scored five of the next six points to pull back within two. A kill by Juarez stopped the Golden Eagles' run and a Robertson/Keith block gave Air Force the 25-22 victory.
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A kill from Keith helped Air Force jump out to the quick 4-0 lead to start the second, while an additional score by the sophomore and a kill from Robertson allowed the Falcons to keep the four-point lead (6-2). The Golden Eagles pulled within one (8-7), but Messenger (kill), Robertson (ace) and Ahlers (kill) pushed the Falcons back up by three (11-8). A three-point run by Oral Roberts evened the set at 11 and the two squads traded the next six points, with Messenger and Keith providing the Falcons' offense. Back-to-back kills from Messenger gave the lead back to Air Force at 17-16, but ORU responded once more to take the 19-18 advantage. Junior Cambria Galloway tallied a kill and solo block on consecutive plays, as Air Force retook the lead at 20-19 and pushed its advantage to two (23-21) off of a kill from Keith. However, Oral Roberts scored five of the final six points to even the match with a 26-24 set victory.
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Oral Roberts scored the first five points of the third set, before Galloway put the Falcons on the board with a kill. Her kill sparked a 5-1 run by the Falcons that included two kills from Keith and a service ace from King. Robertson put down a score that kept the Falcons within one (7-8), while Messenger (kill), Keith (kill) and Ahlers (ace) strung together three-straight points to give Air Force its first lead of the set at 11-10. The Falcons extended their lead to four behind a pair of kills (Robertson, Ssozi) and a pair of aces (King, Keith). The Falcons maintained the four-point advantage at the 18-14 mark, but Oral Roberts accounted for five of the next six points to tie the set at 19. Air Force broke the tie on the next play, while scores from Galloway and Keith pushed the lead back to three (22-19). Messenger added a kill at the 23-20 mark, but Oral Roberts tied the set at 23 – and again at 24 – before Motes put down a kill that helped the Falcons secure the 26-24 victory.
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The Falcons earned an early three-all tie in the fourth, after Keith registered a kill and an ace on back-to-back plays in the opening moments of the set. A point by Ahlers kept the score tied at four, but the Golden Eagles posted nine of the next 10 scores to take a 13-5 lead. Cooper collected a pair of kills to keep the Falcons within seven (7-14), while Ssozi added another pair to maintain that lead (10-17). Kills by Messenger bookended an ORU error, as the Falcons closed the gap to five (13-18). Air Force stayed within five off of kills from Messenger (14-19), Cooper (15-20), Keith (16-21) and Ssozi (17-22), but Oral Roberts scored the final three points to take the set 25-17 and force a fifth set.
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Back-to-back service aces from Motes highlighted a 4-0 start for the Falcons in the deciding set, which included kills from Cooper and Keith. Juarez added a pair of kills and a service ace, as Air Force switched sides holding an 8-4 advantage. Messenger tallied a kill and assisted on a block with Cooper, as the Falcons reached double figures at the 10-5 mark and forced the Golden Eagles into their second timeout. The freshmen pair of Cooper and Messenger added another set of kills, while Keith put down a kill and teamed up with Cooper for a block (14-6). ORU tallied the next two points, but Air Force forced the Golden Eagles into an attacking error that secured the 15-8 victory for the Falcons.
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After spending the first two weekends on the road, the Falcons open the home portion of the season next weekend, when they host Loyola Chicago, UC Irvine and Virginia Tech at the annual Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic on Sept. 13-14 inside the Academy's Cadet East Gym.
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Team Stats
USAFA
ORU
Kills
66
57
Errors
27
15
Attempts
177
153
Hitting %
.220
.275
Points
84
69
Assists
61
50
Aces
14
5
Blocks
4
7
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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