Falcons' Comeback Falls Short in 3-2 Loss to Mavericks

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Despite a dominant blocking performance, the Air Force volleyball team's comeback fell just short on Saturday (Aug. 26), as it suffered a narrow 3-2 loss to UT Arlington during a late-night thriller at the Academy's Cadet East Gym. The Falcons split the first four sets 23-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-20, before falling 11-15 in the deciding set of the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic.

Air Force controlled the net during its second match of the day, out-blocking the visiting Mavericks by a 20-7 margin. Junior Mac Russ matched the program's Division I blocking record with a match-high 14 stops, including two solo blocks, as six different Falcons recorded at least two blocks on the night. Senior Joi Harvey single-handedly stopped three balls, enroute to a five-block outing, while classmate Aaryn Scires assisted on six more stops. Multiple blocks from sophomore Ashley Bible (four – one solo, three assisted), junior Ella Tschuor (three – all assisted) and classmate Mekayla Dedo (two – both assisted) helped Air Force to 20.0 total blocks – a mark just shy of the program's DI record.

In addition to their blocking numbers, Harvey (14) and Russ (11) also paced the team in kills, combining for nearly half of the team's 59 strikes. Russ hit at a match-high .526 clip, recording just one error on her 19 swings, while Harvey hit .393 (14-3-38). Senior Amber Soto recorded a season-high four aces, while classmate Caroline Reinkensmeyer led the team in assists (26) and digs (15).

The Falcons and Mavericks traded the first six scores of the contest, with Russ (kill at one, block with Bible at two) and Scires (kill at three) recording set-tying scores. UTA took an 8-6 advantage, but kills from Dedo and Tschuor, as well as a solo and assisted (Scires) block from Russ headlined a four-point run by the Falcons that gave Air Force the lead at 10-8. The teams traded several more points until UT Arlington was able to even the set at 16. Russ assisted on a pair of back-to-back blocks to break the tie (Dedo at 17-16, Scires at 18-16), while Tschuor (19-17) and Scires (20-18) maintained the Falcons' two-point lead. Air Force continued with that advantage following a kill and block from Harvey (assist from Dedo) at the 23-21 mark, but UTA scored the final four points to take the 25-23 win.

UT Arlington scored five of the first eight points in the second set, but Russ and Bible combined for three kills that broke Air Force within one (4-5). The Mavericks scored the next four, but a three-point swing by the Falcons that included a kill and block by Dedo (assist from Harvey) brought the Falcons back within one at 8-9. UT Arlington used another run to go up 13-10, but a pair of kills from Bible, as well as a Scires strike and a Tschuor/Dedo block, evened the set at 15. A strike by Dedo gave Air Force its first lead of the set (16-15), while kills from Harvey and Tschuor tied the set at 17 and 18, respectively. Back-to-back scores from Tschuor (kill, block with Russ) tied the set at 20, while Russ had a hand in four of the Falcons' final five points to help even the match with a 25-22 win. With Air Force trailing by two (20-22), the junior tallied two kills and assisted on blocks with Scires and Bible during the final set-winning run that also included a service ace by Tschuor.

The Mavericks took a quick lead to start the third set, but Harvey (kill) and Soto (ace) gave Air Force a 5-4 lead. UTA responded with another run, but the Falcons countered with kills from Dedo, Russ and Tschuor that evened the set at nine. The Mavericks retook the lead at 13-11, but the Falcons rattled off five-straight points – backed by a pair of aces from Soto and two Harvey kills – to take the 16-13 advantage. The back-and-forth set continued, as UTA tied the score at 18. Air Force retook the lead on the next point and maintained the advantage until the Mavericks recorded a pair of scores to go ahead 22-21. Harvey scored Air Force's next three points (block with Bible, kill, block), before UT Arlington broke a 24-all tie to take the 26-24 win and go up 2-1 in the match.

Reinkensmeyer opened the fourth set with an ace, while back-to-back scores from Russ (kill, block with Scires) gave Air Force an early 3-1 lead. Kills from Reinkensmeyer and Bible extended the Falcons' margin to four (6-2), while Russ (kill) and Soto (ace) put down scores that pushed the lead out to six (9-3). UT Arlington responded with seven of the next eight points to tie the set at 10, but Air Force retook the lead following kills from Dedo, Soto, Tschuor, and Russ (15-12). The Mavericks tied the set at 17 and traded points with Harvey, who broke the next two ties (18-17, 19-18). Following a tie at 19-all, Scires recorded a kill and teamed up with Russ for a block, while Tschuor and Bible added kills that highlighted a set-closing 6-1 run by the Falcons, as they evened the contest with a 25-20 victory.

Russ struck first in the deciding set, while two kills and a block from Scires (assisted by Russ) helped Air Force tie the set at four. UT Arlington scored four of the next five points, before Harvey put down a pair of kills to keep Air Force within one (8-9) and Russ put up a solo stop that evened the set at nine. The Mavericks scored the next five points to break the shortened set open and, despite a Russ/Tschuor block, closed the match on a 6-2 run for the 15-11 victory and team title at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic.

The loss snapped an eight-match home win streak for Air Force that dated back to mid-October last season. The Falcons begin a four-week stretch away from the Academy next weekend, when they travel to Spokane, Wash., for the Gonzaga Invitational on Sept. 1-2.

Falcons' Comeback Falls Short in 3-2 Loss to Mavericks

Next Event

Team Stats

Joi Harvey

Mac Russ

Aaryn Scires

Ella Tschuor

Players Mentioned

Ashley Bible

Mekayla Dedo

Joi Harvey

Caroline Reinkensmeyer

Mac Russ

Aaryn Scires

Amber Soto

Ella Tschuor

Footer