Air Force Sweeps Idaho for Tournament Title

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Air Force volleyball team captured the team title at the Gonzaga Invitational this afternoon (Sept. 2) following a sweep of Idaho at the Charlotte Y Martin Centre. The Falcons, who outhit the Vandals by 285 points (297-012) during the 3-0 victory, edged Idaho 27-25, 25-21 in the first two sets before blowing the score open with a 25-7 victory in the third.

Junior Mac Russ paced the squad with a match-best nine kills, while sophomore Savanah Johnson recorded seven scores on .545 hitting (7-1-11) and junior Ella Tschuor added eight kills and two aces. Freshman Sophia Dasilva also collected a pair of aces, as five different Falcons scored from the serving line on Saturday. Senior Caroline Reinkensmeyer accounted for 22 assists, while classmate Joi Harvey (six blocks – four solo, two assisted) and sophomore Jordan Suan (nine digs) paced the team defensively.

Senior Aaryn Scires scored the opening point of the match, while additional strikes from Russ and Tschuor helped to tie the set at three. Three-straight blocks from Harvey helped Air Force take a 7-4 advantage, while back-to-back kills from Johnson and an ace from Tschuor pushed the Falcons lead to five (12-7). The Vandals pulled within two at 13-11 and the teams traded the next eight scores, with freshman Annamaria Ramos, Scires and Tschuor providing kills for the Falcons. Air Force broke up the back-and-forth action with six of the next eight points, as a pair of aces from Dasilva bookended a Johnson/Harvey block and another Ramos kill. Russ put down a kill to bring the Falcons to set point (24-18), but Idaho clawed back with six-straight points to tie the set at 24. After another deadlock at 25, an errant Idaho attack and a kill by Tschuor secured the nail-biting 27-25 win for the Falcons.

Sophomore Ashley Bible and Harvey tallied kills for the Falcons in the opening minutes of the second set, but the Vandals took an early 8-6 lead. Russ (two kills, assisted block) and Scires (kill, assisted block) combined for the next four points to tie the set at 10. The set-tying kill sparked a 4-0 run by the Falcons that including another Scires' block – this time with Harvey, who added a kill during the run (13-10). Harvey notched a block and kill on back-to-back plays, but Idaho scored three-straight points to tie the set at 15. Air Force regained the lead following a Tschuor ace and two consecutive kills from Johnson (19-15), while another 4-0 run halted a three-point swing by the Vandals and pushed the Falcons' lead to 23-18. Johnson put the Falcons at set-point (24-20), while Russ put the ball on the floor to secure the 25-21 win.

Air Force completely controlled the final set, enroute to the largest margin of victory in recent history. Backed by four kills from Tschuor, Air Force raced out to a 12-2 lead to open the game. In addition to the four scores by the junior, the Falcons garnered aces from Bible and Suan during the set-opening run, as well as multiple kills from Russ and additional strikes from Scires and Bible. The teams split the next six scores (15-5), but Air Force shut the door in the final minutes – allowing Idaho just two points during a 10-2 run. Russ and Johnson tallied kills and teamed up for a block, while Reinkensmeyer served up an ace and Scires put down the kill for the dominating 25-7 win.

The Falcons travel back to the West Coast next weekend, when they head to California for the Santa Clara Mission Classic on Sept. 8-9.

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Team Stats

Mac Russ

Ella Tschuor

Savanah Johnson

Aaryn Scires

Players Mentioned

Ashley Bible

Sophia Dasilva

Joi Harvey

Savanah Johnson

Annamaria Ramos

Caroline Reinkensmeyer

Mac Russ

Aaryn Scires

Jordan Suan

Ella Tschuor

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