Falcons Dominate Broncos in Home Victory
11/17/2022 9:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Air Force out-hit the Broncos by nearly 300 points and had a 40-33 advantage in kills.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team had a dominant return to Cadet East Gym on Thursday (Nov. 17) night, as it claimed a straight-set victory over Boise State. Out-hitting the visiting Broncos by nearly 300 points (a season-high .460 to .167) and holding a 49-33 advantage in kills, Air Force rolled to the 25-16, 25-15, 25-23 win.
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Led by a 12-kill on .688 hitting (12-1-16) from sophomore Ella Tschuor, a trio of Falcons tallied double-digit kills in the victory. Senior Sarah Markwardt added 11 on .667 hitting (11-1-15), while junior Joi Harvey chipped in 10 kills on .500 hitting (10-2-16). Harvey added a match-high five blocks (one solo, four assisted), while Markwardt and freshman Jordan Suan – the match leader in digs (nine) – each added a pair of service aces. Junior Carolyn Reinkensmeyer rounded out the Falcons' stat leaders with 37 assists.
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The teams traded points in the opening minutes of the match, as Harvey (kill), Tschuor (two kills) and Suan (ace) contributed in the back-and-forth scoring that ended with a tie at four-all. Sophomore Mac Rus put down a kill and teamed up with Reinkensmeyer for a block during a 4-0 run that helped Air Force double up the Broncos, 8-4. Markwardt and Harvey combined for the Falcons' next three points – Markwardt kill, Harvey/Markwardt block, Harvey block – as Air Force extended its lead to 11-5. Back-to-back kills from Harvey kept the lead at six (13-7), before Markwardt, Tschuor (two) and Russ put down kills to stretch the advantage to nine (18-9). Messenger responded to a 3-0 run by the Broncos with three-straight points of her own (block with Russ, two kills) that gave Air Force a 21-12 lead. The Falcons two seniors had a hand in the team's final four points, as both tallied kills (one for Markwardt, two for Messenger) and Markwardt teamed up with Harvey for a block as Air Force easily claimed the first set, 25-16.
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Boise State took a 3-1 lead in the second, but a kill from Tschuor and three attacking errors by the Broncos helped Air Force take a 4-3 lead. The Falcons quickly stretched their lead to three (7-4) following a Suan ace and a Messenger kill. Back-to-back strikes from Messenger and Reinkensmeyer saw Air Force double-up the Broncos 10-5, while kills from Markwardt, Harvey and Tschuor – as well as a Harvey/Tschuor block – pushed the lead out to six (15-9). Air Force continued its barrage of kills with scores from Messenger, Harvey and Russ (18-11), while a strike from Reinkensmeyer put the Falcons at 20 (20-13). A pair of kills from Tschuor highlighted a set-closing 4-1 run by the Falcons, who took the 25-15 victory.
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Tschuor (kill) and Markwardt (ace) scored early in the third set, but Air Force quickly found itself in a 5-10 deficit – that stretched to 7-15 and saw Air Force use both timeouts. Markwardt added another kill that sparked the Falcons, who – with Reinkensmeyer on the serve – roared back to tie the set at 16 and take a one-point lead on the next play. Harvey tallied a pair of kills during the Falcons' impressive run, while Markwardt added a kill and ace. The teams traded the next few points, with Tschuor tying the set at 18. Following a tie at 19-all, the Broncos took a two-point lead (21-19), before a served ace from Messenger and a solo block from Markwardt returned the advantage to Air Force (22-21). Boise State tied the set at 22 and 23, but back-to-back kills from Markwardt secured the 25-23 win and three-set sweep – just the second 3-0 win for Air Force over Boise State in 22 meetings.
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The Falcons close out the regular season Saturday (Nov. 19), when they host Utah State at 1:00 p.m. (MT).
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Led by a 12-kill on .688 hitting (12-1-16) from sophomore Ella Tschuor, a trio of Falcons tallied double-digit kills in the victory. Senior Sarah Markwardt added 11 on .667 hitting (11-1-15), while junior Joi Harvey chipped in 10 kills on .500 hitting (10-2-16). Harvey added a match-high five blocks (one solo, four assisted), while Markwardt and freshman Jordan Suan – the match leader in digs (nine) – each added a pair of service aces. Junior Carolyn Reinkensmeyer rounded out the Falcons' stat leaders with 37 assists.
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The teams traded points in the opening minutes of the match, as Harvey (kill), Tschuor (two kills) and Suan (ace) contributed in the back-and-forth scoring that ended with a tie at four-all. Sophomore Mac Rus put down a kill and teamed up with Reinkensmeyer for a block during a 4-0 run that helped Air Force double up the Broncos, 8-4. Markwardt and Harvey combined for the Falcons' next three points – Markwardt kill, Harvey/Markwardt block, Harvey block – as Air Force extended its lead to 11-5. Back-to-back kills from Harvey kept the lead at six (13-7), before Markwardt, Tschuor (two) and Russ put down kills to stretch the advantage to nine (18-9). Messenger responded to a 3-0 run by the Broncos with three-straight points of her own (block with Russ, two kills) that gave Air Force a 21-12 lead. The Falcons two seniors had a hand in the team's final four points, as both tallied kills (one for Markwardt, two for Messenger) and Markwardt teamed up with Harvey for a block as Air Force easily claimed the first set, 25-16.
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Boise State took a 3-1 lead in the second, but a kill from Tschuor and three attacking errors by the Broncos helped Air Force take a 4-3 lead. The Falcons quickly stretched their lead to three (7-4) following a Suan ace and a Messenger kill. Back-to-back strikes from Messenger and Reinkensmeyer saw Air Force double-up the Broncos 10-5, while kills from Markwardt, Harvey and Tschuor – as well as a Harvey/Tschuor block – pushed the lead out to six (15-9). Air Force continued its barrage of kills with scores from Messenger, Harvey and Russ (18-11), while a strike from Reinkensmeyer put the Falcons at 20 (20-13). A pair of kills from Tschuor highlighted a set-closing 4-1 run by the Falcons, who took the 25-15 victory.
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Tschuor (kill) and Markwardt (ace) scored early in the third set, but Air Force quickly found itself in a 5-10 deficit – that stretched to 7-15 and saw Air Force use both timeouts. Markwardt added another kill that sparked the Falcons, who – with Reinkensmeyer on the serve – roared back to tie the set at 16 and take a one-point lead on the next play. Harvey tallied a pair of kills during the Falcons' impressive run, while Markwardt added a kill and ace. The teams traded the next few points, with Tschuor tying the set at 18. Following a tie at 19-all, the Broncos took a two-point lead (21-19), before a served ace from Messenger and a solo block from Markwardt returned the advantage to Air Force (22-21). Boise State tied the set at 22 and 23, but back-to-back kills from Markwardt secured the 25-23 win and three-set sweep – just the second 3-0 win for Air Force over Boise State in 22 meetings.
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The Falcons close out the regular season Saturday (Nov. 19), when they host Utah State at 1:00 p.m. (MT).
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Team Stats
Boise
USAFA
Kills
33
49
Errors
18
9
Attempts
90
87
Hitting %
.167
.460
Points
40.5
63
Assists
28
46
Aces
2
5
Blocks
5.5
9
Game Leaders
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