Thursday, September 28
USAFA
6:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
10-4,2-1Mountain West
2
vs
3
Boise State
7-6,3-0Mountain West
1
2
3
4
5
F
Boise St.
22
25
23
31
15
3
Air Force
25
15
25
29
8
2
Photo by: Trevor Cokley
Falcons’ MW Streak Snapped by Boise State in Tough 3-2 Loss
9/28/2023 11:34:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force volleyball team suffered its first Mountain West loss of the season this evening (Sept. 28), as it dropped a tough, five-set decision to Boise State at Cadet East Gym. The Falcons, playing their first match at the Academy in more than a month, saw the visitors play homecoming spoilers in the 25-22, 15-25, 25-23, 29-31, 8-15 contest.
Sophomore Ashley Bible paced the Falcons with a career-high 17 kills – one of four Falcons to record double-digit kill totals on the night, as Air Force and Boise State were nearly identical on the offensive side (kills 64-64, hitting 221-223, assists 60-59). Seniors Joi Harvey and Aaryn Scires each recorded 13 strikes toward the Falcons' cause, while junior Ella Tschuor added 10. Harvey also collected a match-high seven blocks (two solo, five assisted), while Scires added five (all assisted) and junior Mac Russ tallied three (one solo, two assisted) as just one total block separated the Falcons and Broncos (11-12). Senior Caroline Reinkensmeyer assisted on 41 of the team's 60 helpers and sophomore Jordan Suan recorded 24 digs. Bible and Scires accounted for the Falcons' two aces – the stat that separated the squads (2-11).
Backed by four kills from Bible and an ace from Tschuor, the Falcons jumped out to an early 7-4 lead. The Broncos evened the set three plays later and, despite a solo block from Russ, took a 12-9 advantage. Air Force retook the lead following a 6-2 stretch that included kills from Scires (two), Harvey and Bible. Boise State responded with six of the next seven points (19-16), but an ace from Bible and a kill from Tschuor helped even the set at 19-all. After the Broncos took a two-point lead at 22-20, the Falcons rattled off five straight points, including a kill and block from Harvey (Scires), to earn the 25-22 comeback win.
Harvey earned the opening point of the second set, but Boise State quickly raced out to a 5-1 lead. Back-to-back scores from Bible brought the Falcons within two (4-6), but the visitors quickly extended their lead and doubled up the Falcons by the 12-6 mark – and several more times before taking a 20-10 advantage. Bible, Harvey and sophomore Savanah Johnson added kills, but Boise State took the 25-15 win.
Air Force took an early 6-3 start to the third, backed by a Tschuor/Harvey block and a Scires kill. Boise State scored five of the next six to go ahead 8-7, before pushing its lead to three at the 13-10 mark. A kill from Russ tied the set at 14, while a second strike from the junior sparked a 5-2 run that helped to tie the set at 18 (Tschuor block) and eventually take a 20-19 lead (Harvey block). The Broncos scored the next three (22-20), but Harvey, Scires and Bible headlined a set-closing 5-1 run that secured the 25-23 win.
Scires shined in the opening minutes of the fourth set, tallying three kills and assisting on a block (Harvey) to help the Falcons with a 5-1 start. The senior added another strike, but Boise State came back to tie the set at seven. Air Force retook the lead behind a pair of kills from Harvey (9-8, 10-9), while Bible broke an 11-all tie and started a four-point run that included two Reinkensmeyer/Russ blocks. Another score from Bible kept the Falcons' lead at four (16-12), but Boise State came back to tie the set at 17. Johnson broke the tie with a kill, while a pair of Harvey scores (kill, block with Scires) gave Air Force a three-point lead (20-17). The Falcons took a 22-20 advantage off a Bible kill, but Boise State evened the set at 22 and the teams began trading points. Both teams had multiple set-points (24-23, 27-25, 28-27 for Air Force; 25-24, 26-25 for Boise State), before a successful challenge by the Broncos turned a 29-27 Air Force win into a 28-28 tie. The Falcons held off another pair of set points, but Boise State were able to string two scores together on back-to-back plays for the 31-29 heartbreaker.
The teams traded points during the opening plays of the deciding set, with Russ and Harvey producing set-tying skills. Boise State used a 5-3 run to hold an 8-6 advantage when the teams switched sides. Harvey added a strike to pull the Falcons within one (7-8), but a Russ kill was the only score for the Falcons in the final eight points, as the Broncos rolled to the 15-8 win – snapping a six-match home win streak in Mountain West play that dated back to last season.
Overall, the match featured 27 ties and 15 lead changes.
The Falcons return to the court on Saturday (Sept. 28), when they face unbeaten Utah State at noon.
Sophomore Ashley Bible paced the Falcons with a career-high 17 kills – one of four Falcons to record double-digit kill totals on the night, as Air Force and Boise State were nearly identical on the offensive side (kills 64-64, hitting 221-223, assists 60-59). Seniors Joi Harvey and Aaryn Scires each recorded 13 strikes toward the Falcons' cause, while junior Ella Tschuor added 10. Harvey also collected a match-high seven blocks (two solo, five assisted), while Scires added five (all assisted) and junior Mac Russ tallied three (one solo, two assisted) as just one total block separated the Falcons and Broncos (11-12). Senior Caroline Reinkensmeyer assisted on 41 of the team's 60 helpers and sophomore Jordan Suan recorded 24 digs. Bible and Scires accounted for the Falcons' two aces – the stat that separated the squads (2-11).
Backed by four kills from Bible and an ace from Tschuor, the Falcons jumped out to an early 7-4 lead. The Broncos evened the set three plays later and, despite a solo block from Russ, took a 12-9 advantage. Air Force retook the lead following a 6-2 stretch that included kills from Scires (two), Harvey and Bible. Boise State responded with six of the next seven points (19-16), but an ace from Bible and a kill from Tschuor helped even the set at 19-all. After the Broncos took a two-point lead at 22-20, the Falcons rattled off five straight points, including a kill and block from Harvey (Scires), to earn the 25-22 comeback win.
Harvey earned the opening point of the second set, but Boise State quickly raced out to a 5-1 lead. Back-to-back scores from Bible brought the Falcons within two (4-6), but the visitors quickly extended their lead and doubled up the Falcons by the 12-6 mark – and several more times before taking a 20-10 advantage. Bible, Harvey and sophomore Savanah Johnson added kills, but Boise State took the 25-15 win.
Air Force took an early 6-3 start to the third, backed by a Tschuor/Harvey block and a Scires kill. Boise State scored five of the next six to go ahead 8-7, before pushing its lead to three at the 13-10 mark. A kill from Russ tied the set at 14, while a second strike from the junior sparked a 5-2 run that helped to tie the set at 18 (Tschuor block) and eventually take a 20-19 lead (Harvey block). The Broncos scored the next three (22-20), but Harvey, Scires and Bible headlined a set-closing 5-1 run that secured the 25-23 win.
Scires shined in the opening minutes of the fourth set, tallying three kills and assisting on a block (Harvey) to help the Falcons with a 5-1 start. The senior added another strike, but Boise State came back to tie the set at seven. Air Force retook the lead behind a pair of kills from Harvey (9-8, 10-9), while Bible broke an 11-all tie and started a four-point run that included two Reinkensmeyer/Russ blocks. Another score from Bible kept the Falcons' lead at four (16-12), but Boise State came back to tie the set at 17. Johnson broke the tie with a kill, while a pair of Harvey scores (kill, block with Scires) gave Air Force a three-point lead (20-17). The Falcons took a 22-20 advantage off a Bible kill, but Boise State evened the set at 22 and the teams began trading points. Both teams had multiple set-points (24-23, 27-25, 28-27 for Air Force; 25-24, 26-25 for Boise State), before a successful challenge by the Broncos turned a 29-27 Air Force win into a 28-28 tie. The Falcons held off another pair of set points, but Boise State were able to string two scores together on back-to-back plays for the 31-29 heartbreaker.
The teams traded points during the opening plays of the deciding set, with Russ and Harvey producing set-tying skills. Boise State used a 5-3 run to hold an 8-6 advantage when the teams switched sides. Harvey added a strike to pull the Falcons within one (7-8), but a Russ kill was the only score for the Falcons in the final eight points, as the Broncos rolled to the 15-8 win – snapping a six-match home win streak in Mountain West play that dated back to last season.
Overall, the match featured 27 ties and 15 lead changes.
The Falcons return to the court on Saturday (Sept. 28), when they face unbeaten Utah State at noon.
Team Stats
Boise
USAFA
Kills
64
64
Errors
27
28
Attempts
166
163
Hitting %
.223
.221
Points
87.0
77.0
Assists
59
60
Aces
11
2
Blocks
12
11
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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