Falcons Win a Wild One at Gonzaga

SPOKANE, Wash. - Air Force capped a wild day of volleyball with a 3-2 road victory over Gonzaga this evening (Sept. 1) in Spokane. The Falcons, playing their second five-setter of the day at the Zags' invitational, defeated their tournament hosts in a 25-21, 18-25, 29-27, 17-25, 15-8 thriller.

Senior Joi Harvey had an impressive outing at the Charlotte Y Martin Centre, recording a career-high 18 kills on .516 hitting (18-2-31), while adding a team-high four blocks (three solo, one assisted) and a service ace. Classmate Aaryn Scires tied her personal high with a 14-kill outing on .300 hitting, as she and Harvey accounted for 32 of the team's 58 kills. Junior Mac Russ shared the team's blocking lead with four (one solo, three assisted), while classmate Ella Tschuor served up a team-high three aces. Senior Caroline Reinkensmeyer posted her first 30-assist match of the season (30), while sophomore Jordan Suan rang up a season-high 21 digs – a tally just one shy of her personal best.

Air Force had a stellar start to the match, racing out to a 9-2 lead behind multiple scores from Scires (three kills, assisted block), Tschuor (two kills) and Harvey (kill, solo block). Following a timeout by the Zags, the teams traded the next 12 points, with the Falcons forcing the home squad into three errors during the back-and-forth stretch. Harvey scored the Falcons' next four points during a 6-2 Air Force run that pushed the lead to 19-12. Gonzaga responded with six of the next seven points to pull within two (20-18), but Scires and Tschuor shut down their run with back-to-back kills. The senior teamed up with Russ for a block, while Harvey registered the final two kills for the Falcons' 25-21 victory.

Scires traded points with Gonzaga at the opening of the second set, keeping the score tied at three. The Zags responded with five of the next six points to send Air Force into a timeout at the 4-8 mark. Junior Mekayla Dedo recorded the first point after the break, while three kills from Tschuor and a service ace from senior Amber Soto pulled the Falcons within two (11-13). Another Dedo kill and an ace from Harvey on back-to-back plays broke up a 7-2 run by Gonzaga that extended into a 12-3 stretch that put the Falcons at a 24-16 disadvantage. Tschuor added another kill, but the Zags evened the match with a 25-18 win.

The Zags jumped out to a fast start in the third, allowing Air Force just two points during the first 12 scores (2-10). Harvey recorded a kill for the Falcons' first offensive tally of the set (3-10) and quickly teamed with Tschuor during a 5-0 run (8-11) that included two more kills from Harvey and a pair of aces from Tschuor. Gonzaga stopped the run with two scores, but Air Force stayed within three following a pair of GU serving errors and a kill from Scires (12-15). Gonzaga pushed its advantage out to six (13-19) before sophomore Savanah Johnson followed a Harvey kill with a solo block and kill to cut the Falcons' deficit back to three (16-19). Back-to-back kills from Harvey brought the Falcons within one (19-20) and a block from Russ and Johnson tied the set at 21. Air Force earned its first lead of the set (23-22) following a Russ/Scires block, while a successful challenge from head coach Keith Barnett held Gonzaga at set-point and tied the score at 24. The teams traded points, with the Falcons holding off two more GU set points. A kill from Scires tied the set at 26, while a Soto ace gave Air Force the 27-26 lead. Gonzaga tied the set on the next play, but kills from Harvey and freshman Annamaria Ramos capped the chaotic set with a 29-27 Air Force victory.

Scires (kill) and Harvey (block) scored the first two points of the fourth set, while a block from Scires and a kill from Johnson gave Air Force a 4-3 lead. Strikes from Ramos and Harvey pushed the Falcons' lead to three (7-4), while a Tschuor kill and Reinkensmeyer ace bumped the margin to four (10-6). Gonzaga responded with 10 of the next 11 scores, before Russ put down a kill at the 12-16 mark. A kill from Harvey broke up a 4-1 run by the Zags that pushed their advantage to seven (20-13) and, although sophomore Ashley Bible added a kill, Gonzaga tallied five of the last six points to claim the 25-17 win.

Gonzaga struck first in the deciding set, but Air Force struck often – tallying eight of the next nine points to switch sides holding an 8-2 advantage. Harvey recorded back-to-back blocks during the set-opening stretch, teaming up with Tschuor for the first and posting a solo stop for the second, while Air Force earned kills from Scires (two), Russ and Tschuor. The Zags scored twice, but Air Force continued to press – tallying scores from Scires (kill), Johnson (kill) and Tschuor (ace) during a 4-1 run to push its lead to seven (12-5). Johnson added another kill, while Harvey put down the final point for the Falcons' 15-8 win.

Air Force closes out the Gonzaga Invitational tomorrow (Sept. 2), when they face Idaho at 3:00 p.m. (PT).

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Team Stats

Joi Harvey

Aaryn Scires

Ella Tschuor

Mac Russ

Players Mentioned

Ashley Bible

Mekayla Dedo

Joi Harvey

Savanah Johnson

Annamaria Ramos

Caroline Reinkensmeyer

Mac Russ

Aaryn Scires

Amber Soto

Jordan Suan

Ella Tschuor

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