Friday, September 12
Edwardsville, IL
5:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
7-1,0-0Mountain West
2
at
3
SIUE
4-4,0-0OVC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Air Force
19
23
25
25
12
2
SIUE
25
25
20
22
15
3
Photo by: Patrick Clark, Athlete Eye Photography
Comeback Falls Short for Air Force Volleyball
9/12/2025 9:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- The Air Force volleyball team's late-match comeback fell just short on Friday (Sept. 12) night, as it dropped a five-set contest to SIUE during the second match of the Cougar Classic in Edwardsville. The narrow 19-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-22, 12-15 loss at First Community Arena snapped the Falcons' season-opening, program-record win streak at seven (7-1).
Air Force, who entered the match as the last unbeaten team in the Mountain West, accounted for a season-high 10.0 blocks on Friday, inside First Community Arena. Senior Alex Hatchett led the team with two solo and three assisted stops, while sophomore Grace Fiaseu added four blocks (two solo, two assisted) and served up a team-high four aces. Classmate Alysa Walker, who also accounted for one single-handed stop in the match, led the team in kills (16) and earned a double-double with 15 digs. Senior Jordan Suan tallied a team-high 21 digs, as the team combined for a season-high 74. Sophomore Mia Loyd earned 31 assists and two aces on the night, while freshman Sam Pope added 15 helpers in her collegiate debut.
Kills from four different Falcons helped Air Force to an early 4-2 lead at the start of the match. Senior Ashley Bible put down her second kill of the set, while Fiaseu and Loyd teamed up for a block to maintain a two-point advantage (8-6). The Falcons kept that lead at 10-8 off a kill from Hatchett and an ace from Loyd, but the Cougars scored four-straight points to take a 12-10 lead. Bible served up an ace and sophomore Bella Christensen added a pair of kills to swing the lead back to Air Force (15-14) at the media timeout. SIUE scored five-straight coming out of the break, before back-to-back kills from Loyd brought Air Force within one (17-18). Bible added a kill (19-20), but the Cougars scored the final five points for the 25-19 win.
SIUE scored the opening point of the second, but Air Force quickly responded and raced out to a 10-4 advantage – thanks, in part to a solo block from Fiaseu and back-to-back aces from freshman Sophie Bridges. The Cougars scored five of the next six points to cut into the Falcons' lead and, eventually, evened the set at 15. Air Force retook the lead on a SIUE error and the teams traded the next several points. Kills from Walker, as well as a block from Hatchett, gave Air Force a 23-22 lead,, but the Cougars closed the set with three-straight points to take the 25-23 win.
Walker put down the opening point of the third, but SIUE rattled off five-straight points to send Air Force into an early timeout (1-5). A block from Hatchett and junior Annamaria Ramos stopped the run, while a pair of Fiaseu kills bookended a Ramos' strike that brough the Falcons within two (5-7). The sophomore added another kill and served up an ace that maintained that margin (9-11), while back-to-back kills from Hatchett narrowed the gap to one (11-12). Hatchett registered another solo stop, as well as a kill from Christensen helped the Falcons' tie the set at 15. Kills from Ramos and Fiaseu gave Air Force a 17-16 lead and the teams traded points. SIUE took a late 20-19 lead, but a kill from senior Savanah Johnson Johnson evened the set at 20 and sparked a 6-0 run by the Falcons. Highlighted by a pair of service aces from Fiaseu during that set-closing run, the Falcons collected the 25-20 win.
Walker and Christensen helped Air Force to a 3-1 start in the fourth. Following a run by the Cougars that gave the home tea at 6-5 lead, the Falcons responded with eight of the next 10 points to open up a 13-8 lead. Johnson and Fiaseu put down kills and teamed up for a block during the run, while Walker added a pair of strikes and Loyd served up an ace. The Cougars cur the Falcons' lead to two (15-13), but kills from Ramos (two), Fiaseu and Johnson stretched the margin out and gave Air Force a 20-14 advantage. SIUE made things interesting in the waning minutes of the set, cutting into the Falcons' lead with a five-point run and pulling within two at the 24-22 mark, but Hatchett put down the deciding kill for the 25-22 win.
Air Force and SIUE traded points to start the deciding set, with a kill from Johnson tying the set at three and another ace from Fiaseu giving the Falcons a lead on the next serve (4-3). The Cougars scored five of the next six points to go into the media timeout with an 8-5 lead. SIUE added three more scores to its run to take an 11-5 advantage, before Air Force halted the run behind a kill from Hatchett and a block from Fiaseu (9-12). Kills from Bible and Ramos brought the Falcons within two (11-13), while another Ramos strike kept that margin (12-14), but the Cougars put down the final point for the 15-12 win.
The Falcons close out the Cougar Classic tomorrow (Sept. 13), when they face Austin Peay for the first time in program history. First serve is slated for 11:00 a.m. (CT) at First Community Arena inside t the Vandalabene Center.
Air Force, who entered the match as the last unbeaten team in the Mountain West, accounted for a season-high 10.0 blocks on Friday, inside First Community Arena. Senior Alex Hatchett led the team with two solo and three assisted stops, while sophomore Grace Fiaseu added four blocks (two solo, two assisted) and served up a team-high four aces. Classmate Alysa Walker, who also accounted for one single-handed stop in the match, led the team in kills (16) and earned a double-double with 15 digs. Senior Jordan Suan tallied a team-high 21 digs, as the team combined for a season-high 74. Sophomore Mia Loyd earned 31 assists and two aces on the night, while freshman Sam Pope added 15 helpers in her collegiate debut.
Kills from four different Falcons helped Air Force to an early 4-2 lead at the start of the match. Senior Ashley Bible put down her second kill of the set, while Fiaseu and Loyd teamed up for a block to maintain a two-point advantage (8-6). The Falcons kept that lead at 10-8 off a kill from Hatchett and an ace from Loyd, but the Cougars scored four-straight points to take a 12-10 lead. Bible served up an ace and sophomore Bella Christensen added a pair of kills to swing the lead back to Air Force (15-14) at the media timeout. SIUE scored five-straight coming out of the break, before back-to-back kills from Loyd brought Air Force within one (17-18). Bible added a kill (19-20), but the Cougars scored the final five points for the 25-19 win.
SIUE scored the opening point of the second, but Air Force quickly responded and raced out to a 10-4 advantage – thanks, in part to a solo block from Fiaseu and back-to-back aces from freshman Sophie Bridges. The Cougars scored five of the next six points to cut into the Falcons' lead and, eventually, evened the set at 15. Air Force retook the lead on a SIUE error and the teams traded the next several points. Kills from Walker, as well as a block from Hatchett, gave Air Force a 23-22 lead,, but the Cougars closed the set with three-straight points to take the 25-23 win.
Walker put down the opening point of the third, but SIUE rattled off five-straight points to send Air Force into an early timeout (1-5). A block from Hatchett and junior Annamaria Ramos stopped the run, while a pair of Fiaseu kills bookended a Ramos' strike that brough the Falcons within two (5-7). The sophomore added another kill and served up an ace that maintained that margin (9-11), while back-to-back kills from Hatchett narrowed the gap to one (11-12). Hatchett registered another solo stop, as well as a kill from Christensen helped the Falcons' tie the set at 15. Kills from Ramos and Fiaseu gave Air Force a 17-16 lead and the teams traded points. SIUE took a late 20-19 lead, but a kill from senior Savanah Johnson Johnson evened the set at 20 and sparked a 6-0 run by the Falcons. Highlighted by a pair of service aces from Fiaseu during that set-closing run, the Falcons collected the 25-20 win.
Walker and Christensen helped Air Force to a 3-1 start in the fourth. Following a run by the Cougars that gave the home tea at 6-5 lead, the Falcons responded with eight of the next 10 points to open up a 13-8 lead. Johnson and Fiaseu put down kills and teamed up for a block during the run, while Walker added a pair of strikes and Loyd served up an ace. The Cougars cur the Falcons' lead to two (15-13), but kills from Ramos (two), Fiaseu and Johnson stretched the margin out and gave Air Force a 20-14 advantage. SIUE made things interesting in the waning minutes of the set, cutting into the Falcons' lead with a five-point run and pulling within two at the 24-22 mark, but Hatchett put down the deciding kill for the 25-22 win.
Air Force and SIUE traded points to start the deciding set, with a kill from Johnson tying the set at three and another ace from Fiaseu giving the Falcons a lead on the next serve (4-3). The Cougars scored five of the next six points to go into the media timeout with an 8-5 lead. SIUE added three more scores to its run to take an 11-5 advantage, before Air Force halted the run behind a kill from Hatchett and a block from Fiaseu (9-12). Kills from Bible and Ramos brought the Falcons within two (11-13), while another Ramos strike kept that margin (12-14), but the Cougars put down the final point for the 15-12 win.
The Falcons close out the Cougar Classic tomorrow (Sept. 13), when they face Austin Peay for the first time in program history. First serve is slated for 11:00 a.m. (CT) at First Community Arena inside t the Vandalabene Center.
Team Stats
USAFA
SIUE
Kills
60
59
Errors
29
27
Attempts
187
174
Hitting %
.166
.184
Points
79.0
83.0
Assists
52
55
Aces
9
8
Blocks
10
16
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
4
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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