Photo by: Trevor Cokley
Air Force Falls to Colorado State
9/29/2022 9:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Ella Tschuor was one of five Falcons to record a block on the Rams during Thursday's match.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team suffered a 3-0 setback to Colorado State this evening (Sept. 29), as it opened the home portion of its conference season with a straight 25-18, 25-20, 25-17 loss to the visiting Rams at Cadet East Gym.
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Senior BrookeLyn Messenger and sophomore Mac Russ paced the Falcons with eight kills apiece, while fellow sophomore Ella Tschuor added seven. The trio, along with junior Joi Harvey who assisted on a match-high four blocks, combined for 11 of the team's 12 assisted stops – as the Falcons out-blocked the Rams 6-3. Junior Caroline Reinkensmeyer, one of two Falcons to earn a service ace, tallied a team-high 17 assists, while sophomore Murphy Riggs rounded out the stat leaders with a match-high eight digs.
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Freshman Savanah Johnson put down the Falcons' first point of the match (1-1), while Russ tallied the next three Air Force points to tie the set at four. Tschuor and Johnson earned scores, while another strike from Johnson tied the set at 10. Reinkensmeyer served up an ace two plays later for a tie at 11-all, but the Rams used an 8-2 run to open the set and halt the back-and-forth action. Messenger stopped the run with a kill and assisted on a block with Harvey during a 4-1 run by the Falcons that included back-to-back Harvey/Tschuor blocks that brought Air Force within four (17-21). Senior Sarah Markwardt added a kill, but Colorado State claimed the opening set by a 25-18 score.
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Messenger opened the second set with a kill, but the Rams took an early 6-2 lead to start the set. Junior Amber Soto registered a kill to stop the run, while strikes from Markwardt, Messenger and Johnson pulled the Falcons within two at the 6-8 mark. Colorado State pushed its advantage to six (13-7), before Messenger and Tschuor put down kills. The Rams responded to extend its margin to seven (17-10, 19-12), before Air Force scored five of the next six to pull within three (17-20). Russ tallied two kills and teamed up with Johnson for a block during that run. The sophomore added another kill and block (this time with Messenger) at the 19-22 mark, but the Rams went up two in the match with the 25-20 win.
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Tschuor tallied the Falcons' first two offensive points of the third set, while kills from Markwardt and Russ saw Air Force hold an early 7-6 lead. The Rams quickly reversed the score, tallying eight-straight points to double up the Falcons at 14-7. Russ stopped the run, while Harvey, Messenger and Tschuor added scores at the 11-16 mark. Air Force continued to receive offensive production from Harvey (kill), Johnson (kill) and Messenger (two kills, service ace), but the Rams completed the sweep with the 25-17 decision.
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The Falcons return to action on Saturday (Oct. 1), when they host Wyoming at 4:00 p.m. (MT).
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Senior BrookeLyn Messenger and sophomore Mac Russ paced the Falcons with eight kills apiece, while fellow sophomore Ella Tschuor added seven. The trio, along with junior Joi Harvey who assisted on a match-high four blocks, combined for 11 of the team's 12 assisted stops – as the Falcons out-blocked the Rams 6-3. Junior Caroline Reinkensmeyer, one of two Falcons to earn a service ace, tallied a team-high 17 assists, while sophomore Murphy Riggs rounded out the stat leaders with a match-high eight digs.
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Freshman Savanah Johnson put down the Falcons' first point of the match (1-1), while Russ tallied the next three Air Force points to tie the set at four. Tschuor and Johnson earned scores, while another strike from Johnson tied the set at 10. Reinkensmeyer served up an ace two plays later for a tie at 11-all, but the Rams used an 8-2 run to open the set and halt the back-and-forth action. Messenger stopped the run with a kill and assisted on a block with Harvey during a 4-1 run by the Falcons that included back-to-back Harvey/Tschuor blocks that brought Air Force within four (17-21). Senior Sarah Markwardt added a kill, but Colorado State claimed the opening set by a 25-18 score.
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Messenger opened the second set with a kill, but the Rams took an early 6-2 lead to start the set. Junior Amber Soto registered a kill to stop the run, while strikes from Markwardt, Messenger and Johnson pulled the Falcons within two at the 6-8 mark. Colorado State pushed its advantage to six (13-7), before Messenger and Tschuor put down kills. The Rams responded to extend its margin to seven (17-10, 19-12), before Air Force scored five of the next six to pull within three (17-20). Russ tallied two kills and teamed up with Johnson for a block during that run. The sophomore added another kill and block (this time with Messenger) at the 19-22 mark, but the Rams went up two in the match with the 25-20 win.
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Tschuor tallied the Falcons' first two offensive points of the third set, while kills from Markwardt and Russ saw Air Force hold an early 7-6 lead. The Rams quickly reversed the score, tallying eight-straight points to double up the Falcons at 14-7. Russ stopped the run, while Harvey, Messenger and Tschuor added scores at the 11-16 mark. Air Force continued to receive offensive production from Harvey (kill), Johnson (kill) and Messenger (two kills, service ace), but the Rams completed the sweep with the 25-17 decision.
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The Falcons return to action on Saturday (Oct. 1), when they host Wyoming at 4:00 p.m. (MT).
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Team Stats
CSU
USAFA
Kills
41
37
Errors
10
21
Attempts
85
93
Hitting %
.365
.172
Points
50
45
Assists
35
34
Aces
6
2
Blocks
3
6
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Macey Donathan Interview Sept 30, 2025
Tuesday, September 30
Falcons open up MW play with sweep of Nevada
Thursday, September 25
Macey Donathan Interview Sept 23, 2025
Tuesday, September 23
Utah Tech gives Falcons a loss in four sets
Saturday, September 20