Air Force Knocks Off San Jose State

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team took down San Jose State in sweeping fashion this evening (Oct. 27) at the Academy. Despite being a back-and-forth contest that included 23 ties and 10 lead changes, the Falcons claimed the 25-22, 25-20, 29-27 win over the Spartans – who entered the match with just one loss in Mountain West play.

Senior BrookeLyn Messenger led the Falcons with 10 kills, while sophomore Mac Russ and junior Joi Harvey added totals of nine and eight, respectively. The latter pair also shared the match lead in blocks, with five each (one solo/four assisted for Harvey, five assisted for Russ). Freshman Jordan Suan, in her first start at libero, tallied 11 digs, while junior Caroline Reinkensmeyer posted 32 of the team's 35 assosts and sophomore Murphy Riggs recorded the Falcons' lone ace.

Harvey opened the match with a kill, while Messenger and Russ added early scores to give Air Force a quick 4-2 lead. A pair of kills from senior Sarah Markwardt, as well as strikes from Messenger and freshman Savanah Johnson helped Air Force reach double digits first at the 10-7 mark. The Falcons pushed their advantage to four off back-to-back Messenger kills (13-9), while a Harvey/Johnson block extended the lead to five (17-12). The Spartans pulled within one (22-21), before Russ stopped the run with a kill and another strike from Harvey secured the 25-22 victory for Air Force.

San Jose State took a fast 5-2 lead to start the second set, but Air Force quickly responded, and a Riggs ace and Messenger/Russ block evened the set at five. Air Force took the lead (8-7) behind a kill from Reinkensmeyer, while a block from Johnson and Russ pushed the Falcons' lead to two (11-9). Another block, this time Messenger and Russ, pushed Air Force's advantage to three (14-11). Kills from Messenger (15-12) and Harvey (16-13) maintained that margin, but San Jose State used a quick run to pull within one at 18-17. Harvey and Johnson teamed up for a pair of blocks, while a solo stop from Harvey gave Air Force the 25-20 win

A kill from Messenger helped Air Force take a 2-1 lead to start the third, but the Spartans used a 7-2 run to take a four-point lead at the 9-5 mark. Russ stopped San Jose State's run with a kill, while a 5-1 run by Air Force brought the Falcons within one (12-13). Reinkensmeyer and Harvey both recorded a kill and block during the run, with Reinkensmeyer sharing her block with Russ and Harvey teaming up with Messenger. The Spartans pushed their lead back to two on three more occasions (14-12, 15-13, 16-14), but a 4-0 run by the Falcons that included kills from Harvey and Johnson helped Air Force take an 18-16 lead. After San Jose State tied the set at 18, the teams traded scores, with Harvey (19-18) and Messenger (20-19) putting Air Force ahead. After a quick two-point swing by the Spartans, Johnson evened the score at 21 and three SJSU errors helped the Falcons to a 24-23 lead. The Spartans responded with a 3-1 run to take a 26-25 lead, before Harvey evened the set at 26. A Johnson kill tied the score at 27 and sparked a set-ending run by the Falcons, as Messenger and an errant Spartan pass led the Falcons to the 29-27 win and their first sweep of the conference season.

Air Force remains at the Academy on Saturday (Oct. 29) when it hosts Nevada at 11:00 a.m. (MT).

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Team Stats

BrookeLyn Messenger

Mac Russ

Joi Harvey

Savanah Johnson

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