Saturday, September 25
USAFA
12:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
4-8,1-1Mountain West
3
vs
0
Fresno State
4-6,0-2Mountain West
1
2
3
F
Fresno St.
20
23
20
0
Air Force
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Justin Pacheco
Falcons Down Fresno State in Straight Sets
9/25/2021 3:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Taleah Cooper led Air Force to its best MW hitting performance (.304) in recent history.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – With an impressive sweep of Fresno State at the Academy this afternoon (Sept. 25), the Air Force volleyball team evened its conference record and captured its fifth-straight victory at Cadet East Gym – a streak that dates back to last season. The Falcons, who hit over .300 for the contest, downed the visiting Bulldogs in straight 25-20, 25-23, 25-20 sets.
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Backed by a career-best, match-leading 12 kills on .786 hitting (12-1-14) from junior Taleah Cooper, the Falcons combined for their second-highest average of the season (.304, 41-13-92) – and their best hitting performance in a MW match in recent history. Sophomore Caroline Reinkensmeyer, who registered nearly half of the team's 36 assists (17), was one of two Falcons to registered a pair of service aces in the contest (junior BrookeLyn Messenger). Sophomore Joi Harvey and senior Bailey Keith each tallied a pair of blocks, and four different Falcons registered at least five digs, as Air Force held the Bulldogs to just .098 hitting (33-23-102).
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The opening set was dominated by Air Force, as the Falcons rolled out to a fast 10-1 lead, following the first Reinkensmeyer ace, a solo block and ace from Messenger and kills from Cooper, Keith and junior Sarah Markwardt (two). Harvey added a score, but Fresno State used a 7-0 run to pull within three at the 14-11. Messenger stopped the run with a kill, while Cooper (two kills, one ace), Reinkensmeyer (ace), Markwardt (kill) and sophomore Aaryn Scires (kill) quickly pushed the Falcons' advantage out to seven (23-16). Fresno State closed the gap to four (23-19), but Markwardt and Harvey put down kills to give Air Force the 25-20 victory.
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Keith tallied a kill and teamed up with Harvey for a block, as Air Force took a quick 4-1 advantage in the second set. The Bulldogs evened the set at six and the teams traded the next four points, with Markwardt and Messenger accounting for the tie-breaking kills. Air Force extended its lead to two following kills from Cooper (10-8) and Harvey (12-10), but Fresno State tied the set two plays later during a 9-0 run that put the Falcons in an 18-12 deficit. A strike from sophomore Savannah Neal halted the run (13-18), while additional kills from Messenger and Neal closed the gap. A successful challenge by head coach Keith Barnett brought the Falcons within three (17-20) and scores from Cooper (two kills), Markwardt (solo block) and Keith (kill, block with Harvey) helped Air Force tie the set at 22-all. Fresno State evened the set at 23, but a kill from Keith and an attacking error by the Bulldogs secured the Falcons' 25-23 comeback.
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The Falcons forced Fresno State into three-straight attacking errors to open the third set (3-0), but the Bulldogs responded with a four-point run of their own. Cooper stopped the streak with a kill to even the set at four, while Messenger notched her second ace on the ensuing play. Another strike from Cooper tied the score at six, while an ace from senior Lily Landis evened the set at eight. Fresno State scored the next three points, but Air Force again responded with its own run to tie the set at 11. A kill from Landis tied the set at 12, while a Cooper/Neal block gave Air Force its first lead since the 3-2 mark (13-12). The pair followed up their block with back-to-back kills to push the Falcons' advantage to three (16-13), while kills from Messenger, Cooper, Keith and Harvey maintained that advantage. The Bulldogs pulled within two (21-19), but Harvey, Cooper and Messenger put down kills to give Air Force the 25-20 win. Â
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After today's stopover at the Academy, the Falcons head back out on the road for two more Mountain West matches – Air Force will face UNLV in Las Vegas on Thursday, Sept. 30, before opening the month of October in California, as it takes on San Diego State on Saturday, Oct. 2.
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Backed by a career-best, match-leading 12 kills on .786 hitting (12-1-14) from junior Taleah Cooper, the Falcons combined for their second-highest average of the season (.304, 41-13-92) – and their best hitting performance in a MW match in recent history. Sophomore Caroline Reinkensmeyer, who registered nearly half of the team's 36 assists (17), was one of two Falcons to registered a pair of service aces in the contest (junior BrookeLyn Messenger). Sophomore Joi Harvey and senior Bailey Keith each tallied a pair of blocks, and four different Falcons registered at least five digs, as Air Force held the Bulldogs to just .098 hitting (33-23-102).
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The opening set was dominated by Air Force, as the Falcons rolled out to a fast 10-1 lead, following the first Reinkensmeyer ace, a solo block and ace from Messenger and kills from Cooper, Keith and junior Sarah Markwardt (two). Harvey added a score, but Fresno State used a 7-0 run to pull within three at the 14-11. Messenger stopped the run with a kill, while Cooper (two kills, one ace), Reinkensmeyer (ace), Markwardt (kill) and sophomore Aaryn Scires (kill) quickly pushed the Falcons' advantage out to seven (23-16). Fresno State closed the gap to four (23-19), but Markwardt and Harvey put down kills to give Air Force the 25-20 victory.
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Keith tallied a kill and teamed up with Harvey for a block, as Air Force took a quick 4-1 advantage in the second set. The Bulldogs evened the set at six and the teams traded the next four points, with Markwardt and Messenger accounting for the tie-breaking kills. Air Force extended its lead to two following kills from Cooper (10-8) and Harvey (12-10), but Fresno State tied the set two plays later during a 9-0 run that put the Falcons in an 18-12 deficit. A strike from sophomore Savannah Neal halted the run (13-18), while additional kills from Messenger and Neal closed the gap. A successful challenge by head coach Keith Barnett brought the Falcons within three (17-20) and scores from Cooper (two kills), Markwardt (solo block) and Keith (kill, block with Harvey) helped Air Force tie the set at 22-all. Fresno State evened the set at 23, but a kill from Keith and an attacking error by the Bulldogs secured the Falcons' 25-23 comeback.
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The Falcons forced Fresno State into three-straight attacking errors to open the third set (3-0), but the Bulldogs responded with a four-point run of their own. Cooper stopped the streak with a kill to even the set at four, while Messenger notched her second ace on the ensuing play. Another strike from Cooper tied the score at six, while an ace from senior Lily Landis evened the set at eight. Fresno State scored the next three points, but Air Force again responded with its own run to tie the set at 11. A kill from Landis tied the set at 12, while a Cooper/Neal block gave Air Force its first lead since the 3-2 mark (13-12). The pair followed up their block with back-to-back kills to push the Falcons' advantage to three (16-13), while kills from Messenger, Cooper, Keith and Harvey maintained that advantage. The Bulldogs pulled within two (21-19), but Harvey, Cooper and Messenger put down kills to give Air Force the 25-20 win. Â
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After today's stopover at the Academy, the Falcons head back out on the road for two more Mountain West matches – Air Force will face UNLV in Las Vegas on Thursday, Sept. 30, before opening the month of October in California, as it takes on San Diego State on Saturday, Oct. 2.
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Team Stats
Fresno
USAFA
Kills
33
41
Errors
23
13
Attempts
102
92
Hitting %
.098
.304
Points
40
52
Assists
29
36
Aces
5
6
Blocks
2
5
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/OPP
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