Falcons Sweep San Jose State in Return to Academy

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- Backed by a combined 25 kills from sophomore Alysa Walker and senior Ashley Bible, the Air Force volleyball team made a triumphant return to the Academy on Thursday (Nov. 6) night, as it claimed a 3-0 victory over San Jose State at Cadet East Gym. The Falcons used the 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 win to split the season series with the Spartans and move to 13-12 (5-8 MW) on the year.

As the only players on either side of the net to register double-digit kill totals, Walker (15) and Bible (10) combined for more than half of the Falcons' 40 strikes. The pair also served up four of the Falcons' eight aces, with Bible leading the way with a season-high three. Freshman Sam Pope (19) and sophomore Mia Loyd (18) assisted on 37 of the team's kills, while also accounting for an ace. Sophomore Grace Fiaseu, who added the final two scoring serves of the night, tied for a match-high six blocks (all assisted), while senior Jordan Suan led the team with 13 digs and Walker added 10 for her 10th double-double of the year.

Freshman Sonia Okpara opened the match with a kill, while three points from Fiaseu (two kills, assisted block with classmate Brooksie Isham) gave Air Force an early 6-4 lead. Following a tie at six, Walker and Bible scored the next six Air Force points to give the Falcons a 12-10 lead. An ace from Bible sent Air Force into the media timeout with a 15-12 lead, while Fiaseu and Isham teamed up for another block during a stellar play that included four putbacks from the pair. The Spartans closed the lead to one (16-15), but four kills from Walker and an ace from Fiaseu pushed the Falcons' advantage out to five (12-16). The sophomore added another strike, while a solo block from Senior Alex Hatchett and a kill from Okpara secured the 25-21 victory for the Falcons.

The Falcons started slow in the second set, as San Jose State jumped out to a fast 14-7 lead. Backed by three kills from Bible and a Fiaseu/Okpara block, Air Force chipped away at the deficit, pulling within three at the 14-17 mark. Fiaseu put down a kill at 15-18 mark that sparked an 8-1 run by the Falcons, as she (block with Isham, block with Walker), Bible (two kills, ace), Loyd (ace) and Walker (kill, block with Fiaseu) headlined a scoring stretch that tied that ended with a 22-19 advantage for the Falcons. San Jose State stopped the run with back-to-back kills (22-21), but Fiaseu and Walker teamed up for the final three kills and the 25-22 Air Force win.

The third set saw the Spartans take an early 6-2 lead, but the Falcons again responded by scoring eight of the next 11 points to take their first lead of the set at 10-9. Bible, Fiaseu and Pope all served up an ace during that run, while Walker added a pair of kills. Air Force maintained the lead at the media timeout (15-12), while a pair of scores from Bible (kill, block with Fiaseu) helped Air Force maintain a three-point lead (17-14). Hatched scored all three of her kills in a span of four plays to push the Falcons' advantage out to four (21-17), while a kill from Bible capped the 25-21 win and gave Air Force its first win over the Spartans since 2023.

The Falcons, in the midst of a four-match homestand, will be back at the Academy on Saturday (Nov. 8), when they host Fresno State at 1:00 p.m. (MT) inside Cadet East Gym.

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