Sunday, September 1
USAFA
2:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
0
vs
3
South Dakota
Photo by: Garrett Graf, Utah State Athletics
Air Force Falls to South Dakota in Tournament Finale
9/1/2024 6:32:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force volleyball team closed out the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic with a narrow three-set loss to South Dakota this afternoon (Sept. 1) at the Academy's Cadet East Gym. The Falcons moved to 1-1 on the year, as they fell in 20-25, 20-25, 23-25 sets to the visiting Coyotes (2-0).
Senior Ella Tschuor led the Falcons with 12 kills on .200 hitting, while junior Ashley Bible and sophomore Annamaria Ramos added six scores apiece. Tschuor also accounted for half of the team's service aces, as she and junior Jordan Suan – the Falcons' leader in digs (10) – both registered a pair of scores from the serving line. Freshman Mia Loyd posted a career-high 18 assists on the day, while senior Mac Russ rounded out Air Force's statistical leaders with four blocks (one solo, three assisted).
Tschuor recorded the first score of the match – and added a second kill to help the Falcons take a quick 5-2 lead. Bible and Russ put down kills to help Air Force maintain the three-point advantage (8-5), while Ramos gave Air Force a 10-7 lead with her first kill of the match. South Dakota pulled within one at the 11-10 mark, but Tschuor and Ramos added another pair of scores to send Air Force into the media timeout with a 15-13 advantage. Senior Mekayla Dedo pushed the Falcons lead to three on the next point, but the Coyotes tied the set at 16. After trading the next several points, back-to-back kills from Tschuor and Bible gave the Falcons a 20-18 lead – but South Dakota closed the set on a 7-0 run to take the 25-20 win.
The teams traded the opening points of the second set, with Dedo and freshman Grace Fiaseu helping Air Force to an early 4-3 lead. The Falcons forced the Coyotes into a pair of attacking errors to push their advantage to three (7-4), but South Dakota tied the set at eight and took the lead on the next play. A block from Tschuor and Fiaseu tied the set at 10 and the teams swapped the next 18 points to match scores through 19-all. Bible added a kill at the 20-21 mark, but the Coyotes closed the set on a 6-1 run to earn another 25-20 win and take a two-set lead in the match.
An ace from Tschuor gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead to start the third set, while a strike from Bible pushed the Falcons' lead to 3-1. South Dakota quickly doubled up Air Force by an 8-4 margin, but a strong serving series from Suan that included back-to-back aces, helped the Falcons tie the set at nine. The Coyotes retook the lead and, despite a kill from Tschuor, pushed their advantage to five at the 18-13 mark. Fiaseu served the Falcons during a run that pulled Air Force within two (16-18) and featured scores from Tschuor (kill), Russ (block) and Ramos (kill). South Dakota stretched their advantage to 23-18, but Air Force stormed back to tie the set at 23 behind a pair of Loyd/Russ blocks. Despite the Falcons' late run, the Coyotes secured the final two points for the 25-23 win and the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic title.
The Falcons head out on the road next week, as they travel to El Paso, Texas, to face Steven F. Austin, UTEP, and Southeastern Louisiana at the Borderland Classic on Sept. 5-7.
Senior Ella Tschuor led the Falcons with 12 kills on .200 hitting, while junior Ashley Bible and sophomore Annamaria Ramos added six scores apiece. Tschuor also accounted for half of the team's service aces, as she and junior Jordan Suan – the Falcons' leader in digs (10) – both registered a pair of scores from the serving line. Freshman Mia Loyd posted a career-high 18 assists on the day, while senior Mac Russ rounded out Air Force's statistical leaders with four blocks (one solo, three assisted).
Tschuor recorded the first score of the match – and added a second kill to help the Falcons take a quick 5-2 lead. Bible and Russ put down kills to help Air Force maintain the three-point advantage (8-5), while Ramos gave Air Force a 10-7 lead with her first kill of the match. South Dakota pulled within one at the 11-10 mark, but Tschuor and Ramos added another pair of scores to send Air Force into the media timeout with a 15-13 advantage. Senior Mekayla Dedo pushed the Falcons lead to three on the next point, but the Coyotes tied the set at 16. After trading the next several points, back-to-back kills from Tschuor and Bible gave the Falcons a 20-18 lead – but South Dakota closed the set on a 7-0 run to take the 25-20 win.
The teams traded the opening points of the second set, with Dedo and freshman Grace Fiaseu helping Air Force to an early 4-3 lead. The Falcons forced the Coyotes into a pair of attacking errors to push their advantage to three (7-4), but South Dakota tied the set at eight and took the lead on the next play. A block from Tschuor and Fiaseu tied the set at 10 and the teams swapped the next 18 points to match scores through 19-all. Bible added a kill at the 20-21 mark, but the Coyotes closed the set on a 6-1 run to earn another 25-20 win and take a two-set lead in the match.
An ace from Tschuor gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead to start the third set, while a strike from Bible pushed the Falcons' lead to 3-1. South Dakota quickly doubled up Air Force by an 8-4 margin, but a strong serving series from Suan that included back-to-back aces, helped the Falcons tie the set at nine. The Coyotes retook the lead and, despite a kill from Tschuor, pushed their advantage to five at the 18-13 mark. Fiaseu served the Falcons during a run that pulled Air Force within two (16-18) and featured scores from Tschuor (kill), Russ (block) and Ramos (kill). South Dakota stretched their advantage to 23-18, but Air Force stormed back to tie the set at 23 behind a pair of Loyd/Russ blocks. Despite the Falcons' late run, the Coyotes secured the final two points for the 25-23 win and the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic title.
The Falcons head out on the road next week, as they travel to El Paso, Texas, to face Steven F. Austin, UTEP, and Southeastern Louisiana at the Borderland Classic on Sept. 5-7.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMacey Donathan Interview Sept 30, 2025
Tuesday, September 30
Falcons open up MW play with sweep of Nevada
Thursday, September 25
Macey Donathan Interview Sept 23, 2025
Tuesday, September 23
Utah Tech gives Falcons a loss in four sets
Saturday, September 20
