Friday, September 8
Santa Clara, CA
8:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
7-1,0-0Mountain West
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Santa Clara
6-2,0-0WCC
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F
Air Force
18
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Santa Clara
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Photo by: Trevor Cokley
Air Force Downs Santa Clara on the Road
9/8/2023 11:17:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Backed by a season-high .325 hitting performance, the Air Force volleyball team picked up its second win of the day (Sept. 8) with a 3-1 victory over Santa Clara in the nightcap of the Broncos' Mission Classic at Leavey Center. The Falcons' 18-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-19 win marked the second-straight true road win of the year.
Senior Joi Harvey led the Falcons' stellar offensive production with a .588 average, connecting on 12 of 17 attempts, while committing just two errors, while junior Ella Tschuor added matched that kill total behind a .393 outing (12-1-28). The pair combined for nearly half of the team's 53 strikes – a tally that was assisted by 29 helpers from senior Caroline Reinkensmeyer. Junior Mac Russ, who added a .286 performance (6-2-14), recorded eight blocks (one solo, seven assisted), while the sophomore duo of Ashley Bible and Jordan Suan completed the match with team-leading numbers in aces (two) and digs (career-best 25).
Santa Clara jumped out to a quick 4-1 start, but Air Force responded just as fast, with senior Aaryn Scires scoring the first of four-straight Air Force points to give the Falcons a 5-4 advantage. The Broncos retook the lead following a 5-1 run, before a Harvey/Bible block and kill from sophomore Savanah Johnson evened the set at nine. The home team broke an 11-all tie with a 6-1 run (17-12), before Harvey and Tschuor put down kills to bring the Falcons within two (15-17). Despite another Harvey strike and a combined block from Johnson and Russ, Santa Clara won the opening set 25-18.
Backed by multiple scores from Tschuor (two kills, assisted block) and Harvey (kill, assisted block), the Falcons overcame an early 1-3 deficit to take a 6-3 lead. Additional strikes from Scires and Harvey kept the advantage at three (8-5), while Johnson (kill) and Tschuor (ace) pushed it to four (10-6). The Broncos pulled within two at 11-9, before four kills from Bible backed the Falcons during a 7-1 run that extended their lead to 18-10. Suan served up an ace, while a Johnson/Russ block tied the match with a 25-17 win.
The Falcons again rebounded from an early deficit (3-6) to take the lead, as a pair of kills from Scires bookended a Bible/Russ block during a 5-0 run that gave Air Force an 11-8 advantage. The teams traded the next several points, with Air Force gaining scores from Scires, Russ and Harvey, before Santa Clara tied the set at 14. The Broncos took a two-point lead at 17-15 that the Falcons quickly matched with a kill from Harvey and an ace from freshman Sophia Dasilva. Kills from Bible (18-all) and Russ (19-all) kept the scores even, while Russ and Scires each put down a kill and teamed up for a block during a 4-0 run by the Falcons, and Tschuor registered the final two kills for a 25-22 win.
Highlighted by kills and a pair of assisted stops from Russ and Tschuor, Air Force jumped out to an early 5-1 lead to start the fourth. The Broncos tied the set at five, before Russ broke the deadlock with a kill. The junior added a solo stop at the 11-8 mark, while back-to-back points from Bible (kill, ace) sent Air Force into the media timeout with a 15-10 advantage. Air Force pushed its lead to 20-14 behind a kill and solo block from Tschuor, as well as two kills and block from Harvey (assisted with Scires). Although the Broncos put together a quick 4-1 stretch to pull within four, a kill from Reinkensmeyer and a Scires/Russ block secured the 25-19 victory for the Falcons.
The Falcons close out action at the Santa Clara Mission Classic tomorrow (Sept. 9) morning, when they face Saint Mary's at the Leavey Center at 11:30 a.m. (PT).
Senior Joi Harvey led the Falcons' stellar offensive production with a .588 average, connecting on 12 of 17 attempts, while committing just two errors, while junior Ella Tschuor added matched that kill total behind a .393 outing (12-1-28). The pair combined for nearly half of the team's 53 strikes – a tally that was assisted by 29 helpers from senior Caroline Reinkensmeyer. Junior Mac Russ, who added a .286 performance (6-2-14), recorded eight blocks (one solo, seven assisted), while the sophomore duo of Ashley Bible and Jordan Suan completed the match with team-leading numbers in aces (two) and digs (career-best 25).
Santa Clara jumped out to a quick 4-1 start, but Air Force responded just as fast, with senior Aaryn Scires scoring the first of four-straight Air Force points to give the Falcons a 5-4 advantage. The Broncos retook the lead following a 5-1 run, before a Harvey/Bible block and kill from sophomore Savanah Johnson evened the set at nine. The home team broke an 11-all tie with a 6-1 run (17-12), before Harvey and Tschuor put down kills to bring the Falcons within two (15-17). Despite another Harvey strike and a combined block from Johnson and Russ, Santa Clara won the opening set 25-18.
Backed by multiple scores from Tschuor (two kills, assisted block) and Harvey (kill, assisted block), the Falcons overcame an early 1-3 deficit to take a 6-3 lead. Additional strikes from Scires and Harvey kept the advantage at three (8-5), while Johnson (kill) and Tschuor (ace) pushed it to four (10-6). The Broncos pulled within two at 11-9, before four kills from Bible backed the Falcons during a 7-1 run that extended their lead to 18-10. Suan served up an ace, while a Johnson/Russ block tied the match with a 25-17 win.
The Falcons again rebounded from an early deficit (3-6) to take the lead, as a pair of kills from Scires bookended a Bible/Russ block during a 5-0 run that gave Air Force an 11-8 advantage. The teams traded the next several points, with Air Force gaining scores from Scires, Russ and Harvey, before Santa Clara tied the set at 14. The Broncos took a two-point lead at 17-15 that the Falcons quickly matched with a kill from Harvey and an ace from freshman Sophia Dasilva. Kills from Bible (18-all) and Russ (19-all) kept the scores even, while Russ and Scires each put down a kill and teamed up for a block during a 4-0 run by the Falcons, and Tschuor registered the final two kills for a 25-22 win.
Highlighted by kills and a pair of assisted stops from Russ and Tschuor, Air Force jumped out to an early 5-1 lead to start the fourth. The Broncos tied the set at five, before Russ broke the deadlock with a kill. The junior added a solo stop at the 11-8 mark, while back-to-back points from Bible (kill, ace) sent Air Force into the media timeout with a 15-10 advantage. Air Force pushed its lead to 20-14 behind a kill and solo block from Tschuor, as well as two kills and block from Harvey (assisted with Scires). Although the Broncos put together a quick 4-1 stretch to pull within four, a kill from Reinkensmeyer and a Scires/Russ block secured the 25-19 victory for the Falcons.
The Falcons close out action at the Santa Clara Mission Classic tomorrow (Sept. 9) morning, when they face Saint Mary's at the Leavey Center at 11:30 a.m. (PT).
Team Stats
USAFA
SCU
Kills
53
55
Errors
14
28
Attempts
125
151
Hitting %
.312
.179
Points
73.0
66.0
Assists
49
50
Aces
5
6
Blocks
15
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ 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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