Air Force Falls to Rebels at Home

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team dropped a four-set decision to UNLV this evening (Oct. 26) at the Academy, falling in 25-20, 23-25, 20-25, 22-25 sets to the visiting Rebels at the Cadet East Gym.

Backed by a team-high 12 kills from junior Ella Tschuor, four Falcons tallied double-digit kills in the match – as the quartet combined for 43 of the team's 59 scores. Senior Joi Harvey added 11 on the night, while sophomore Ashley Bible and junior Mac Russ each collected 10, with Russ' total coming on a match-high .444 hitting performance (10-2-18). Harvey and Tschuor, who collected a double-double with 10 digs, also shared the team lead in blocks, as the pair joined senior Caroline Reinkensmeyer for three stops apiece. Reinkensmeyer, who recorded a solo block during her outing, added 41 assists, while Bible added a match-high three service aces an classmate Jordan Suan added a team-high 19 digs.

UNLV took an early lead to start the match, before Tschuor, Russ and Harvey put down kills to bring the Falcons within one (3-4). The Rebels stretched their lead back to three, before six-straight serves from Reinkensmeyer helped turn the Falcons' 6-9 deficit into a 13-10 advantage. Backed by a Russ/Tschuor block, the Falcons forced the Rebels into four attacking errors during that run. Reinkensmeyer and classmate Aaryn Scires combined for four of the Falcons' next five points (two kills each), as Air Force maintained a three-point lead (18-15). Scires added one more score, while back-to-back kills from Harvey gave Air Force the 25-20 victory.

Air Force came out strong in the second set, as two kills from Tschuor bookended a fast 4-0 start that pushed into a 5-1 lead. The Rebels tied the set at six, before Air Force retook the lead off kills from Harvey, Bible and Russ that sent UNLV into a timeout, trailing 10-7. The Falcons pushed their lead to four (13-9), before kill from Tschuor and three aces from Bible highlighted a five-point run that extended their lead to seven (17-10). UNLV responded once more - equalizing the set at 19 and then trading points with the Falcons until 22-all. The Rebels took their first lead of the game at 23-22 and, despite a set-tying kill from Bible at 23, went on to even the match with a 25-23 win.

The Rebels momentum continued into the third set, as they jumped out to a fast 7-2 lead – with Tschuor tallying both Air Force points during the opening minutes. The junior teamed up with Harvey for a stop, while Reinkensmeyer tallied back-to-back blocks (solo, assisted with Russ) to help pull the Falcons within one at the 9-10 mark. The teams traded the next 10 scores, with Bible, Russ and Tschuor (two) accounting for the Falcons' offense during the stretch that ended in a narrow 13-14 margin. Kills from Harvey tied the set at 16 – and 17, while Air Force took the lead on the next play following a UNLV error. Russ added two more kills, including one for a 19-all tie, but the Rebels scored six of the final seven for the 25-20 win.

Kills from Scires and Russ (three) helped tie the opening minutes of the fourth set at five, while a score from Bible evened the set at seven. The Rebels broke the back-and-fourth action with six-straight points (7-13), before senior Amber Soto stopped the run with a kill that sparked a three-point swing by the Falcons (kills from Tschuor, Harvey; 10-13). Air Force earned kills from Reinkensmeyer, Tschuor, Russ and Bible, while a Reinkensmeyer/Russ block brought the Falcons within two at 17-19. The Falcons pulled within one (22-23) following four-straight kills from Harvey (two), Bible and Scires, but UNLV scored the final two points for the 25-23 win.

The Falcons close out a three-match homestand on Saturday (Oct. 28), when they host San Diego State at 1:00 p.m. (MT).

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Team Stats

Ella Tschuor

Joi Harvey

Mac Russ

Ashley Bible

Players Mentioned

Ashley Bible

Joi Harvey

Caroline Reinkensmeyer

Mac Russ

Aaryn Scires

Amber Soto

Jordan Suan

Ella Tschuor

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