Tuesday, October 4
Albuquerque, NM
6:30 pm MT
Air Force Academy
8-9,0-5Mountain West
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New Mexico
11-4,2-3Mountain West
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Air Force
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New Mexico
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Photo by: Trevor Cokley
Falcons Suffer 3-1 Setback to Lobos
10/4/2022 10:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Murphy Riggs led the Falcons with 14 digs and a service ace on Tuesday night.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Air Force volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to New Mexico this evening (Oct. 4) during a midweek matchup in Albuquerque. After splitting the first two sets 25-21, 21-25, the Falcons dropped the final two sets by matching 25-24 decisions.
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Junior Joi Harvey led the Falcons with nine kills on .211 hitting, while freshman Savanah Johnson added six and the trio of senior Sarah Markwardt, junior Savannah Neal and sophomore Mac Russ tallied five apiece. Juniors Caroline Reinkensmeyer and Amber Soto each accounted for 16 assists, while Reinkensmeyer posted a double-double with the addition of 10 digs. Sophomore Murphy Riggs led the Falcons with 14 digs and the squad's lone service, while Russ rounded out the stat leaders with six blocks.
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Russ accounted for the Falcons' first two points, as she put down a kill and teamed up for a block with senior BrookeLyn Messenger. The Lobos took the early 8-2 lead, but Air Force responded with 10 of the next 12 points – including four-straight scores by Harvey (three kills, solo block) – to take a 12-10 advantage. The Falcons pushed their lead to four off a block by Russ and Johnson (16-12) – and again following a pair of kills from Russ and sophomore Ella Tschuor. New Mexico pulled within one at 19-18, but kills from Tschuor and Markwardt helped Air Force to set point and Russ put down the deciding kill for the Falcons' 25-21 victory.
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The Lobos jumped out to another fast 8-2 start and, although the Falcons pulled within three at 5-8 (Tschuor/Harvey block) and 9-12 (Johnson/Russ block), the Lobos wouldn't allow an early-set comeback to materialize, and Air Force entered the media timeout trailing 10-15. New Mexico pushed its lead to seven (20-13), but the Falcons scored the next six points to pull within one at the 19-20 mark. Johnson, Russ and Markwardt all tallied kills during the run, while Russ teamed up with both for a pair of blocks. Reinkensmeyer and Messenger added scores, but New Mexico evened the match with a 25-21 win.
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The opening minutes of the third set was all New Mexico, as it opened on a 13-1 run – a stretch only broken up by a kill from Neal. Markwardt tallied a kill and solo block during a 6-1 run by the Falcons (6-14), while an ace from Riggs and a kill from freshman Ashley Bible brought Air Force within five at the 11-16 mark. Russ, Bible and Neal added scores, but the Lobos closed on a 9-3 run for the 25-14 win.
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Johnson struck first in the fourth set, while a kill from Neal tied the set at three. Messenger added a strike at the 5-6 mark, while a kill from Bible kept the Falcons within two (7-9). The Lobos used a 6-1 lead to extend its advantage to seven (19-6) and used another 5-1 run to push its margin to 10 (21-11). Markwardt added a pair of kills, but New Mexico completed the victory with another 25-14 victory.
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Air Force concludes its split schedule this week with a home contest against UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 8.
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Junior Joi Harvey led the Falcons with nine kills on .211 hitting, while freshman Savanah Johnson added six and the trio of senior Sarah Markwardt, junior Savannah Neal and sophomore Mac Russ tallied five apiece. Juniors Caroline Reinkensmeyer and Amber Soto each accounted for 16 assists, while Reinkensmeyer posted a double-double with the addition of 10 digs. Sophomore Murphy Riggs led the Falcons with 14 digs and the squad's lone service, while Russ rounded out the stat leaders with six blocks.
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Russ accounted for the Falcons' first two points, as she put down a kill and teamed up for a block with senior BrookeLyn Messenger. The Lobos took the early 8-2 lead, but Air Force responded with 10 of the next 12 points – including four-straight scores by Harvey (three kills, solo block) – to take a 12-10 advantage. The Falcons pushed their lead to four off a block by Russ and Johnson (16-12) – and again following a pair of kills from Russ and sophomore Ella Tschuor. New Mexico pulled within one at 19-18, but kills from Tschuor and Markwardt helped Air Force to set point and Russ put down the deciding kill for the Falcons' 25-21 victory.
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The Lobos jumped out to another fast 8-2 start and, although the Falcons pulled within three at 5-8 (Tschuor/Harvey block) and 9-12 (Johnson/Russ block), the Lobos wouldn't allow an early-set comeback to materialize, and Air Force entered the media timeout trailing 10-15. New Mexico pushed its lead to seven (20-13), but the Falcons scored the next six points to pull within one at the 19-20 mark. Johnson, Russ and Markwardt all tallied kills during the run, while Russ teamed up with both for a pair of blocks. Reinkensmeyer and Messenger added scores, but New Mexico evened the match with a 25-21 win.
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The opening minutes of the third set was all New Mexico, as it opened on a 13-1 run – a stretch only broken up by a kill from Neal. Markwardt tallied a kill and solo block during a 6-1 run by the Falcons (6-14), while an ace from Riggs and a kill from freshman Ashley Bible brought Air Force within five at the 11-16 mark. Russ, Bible and Neal added scores, but the Lobos closed on a 9-3 run for the 25-14 win.
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Johnson struck first in the fourth set, while a kill from Neal tied the set at three. Messenger added a strike at the 5-6 mark, while a kill from Bible kept the Falcons within two (7-9). The Lobos used a 6-1 lead to extend its advantage to seven (19-6) and used another 5-1 run to push its margin to 10 (21-11). Markwardt added a pair of kills, but New Mexico completed the victory with another 25-14 victory.
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Air Force concludes its split schedule this week with a home contest against UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 8.
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Team Stats
USAFA
UNM
Kills
42
46
Errors
26
24
Attempts
145
142
Hitting %
.110
.155
Points
53
66
Assists
38
42
Aces
1
9
Blocks
10
11
Game Leaders
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballRS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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