Air Force Youngsters Suffer Setback to Idaho State

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Idaho St.	25	25	25	3
Air Force	20	18	23	0

Idaho St.

Air Force

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- A young Air Force volleyball team suffered a three-set setback to Idaho State this afternoon (Sept. 12) in the final contest of the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic at the Academy's Cadet East Gym. With a lineup that included six freshmen, the Falcons fell 20-25, 18-25, 23-25 to the visiting Bengals, but gained valuable experience as the squad nears conference play.

Freshman Karina Mendivil, earning her first start one day after making her collegiate debut, led the Falcons with 11 kills, while classmate Kennedy Simon added nine. Mendivil also recorded her first double-double on Saturday, with 13 digs – a stat category that included a team-high 17 digs from freshman Ella Vogel and 10 more from Simon. Junior Grace Fiaseu made five blocks, including one solo, while classmate Lainie Stapleton added four (all assisted). Fellow junior Mia Loyd accounted for a match-high 25 assists, while classmate Kiera King, in her season debut, and sophomore Sam Pope served up one ace apiece.

Idaho State jumped out to a quick 7-3 lead to start the match, with Mendivil accounting for two kills in the Falcons' first three points. Air Force earned kills from Simon (two), Fiaseu and Stapleton, but the Bengals pushed their advantage to seven at the 16-9 mark. Backed by a pair of kills from Stapleton, and a Fiaseu/Mendivil block, the Falcons cut the lead to four (17-21). Mendivil added two more kill, but Idaho State took the opening set by a 25-20 margin.

An ace from King gave Air Force a 2-1 lead to start the second set, but Idaho State rolled out to a 16-6 lead. A kill from Simon and a block from Stapleton and sophomore Zoe Kirby headlined a four-point run by the Falcons, while a pair of kills from Kirby cut the Falcons' deficit to four at the 13-17 mark. The Bengals widened their lead with a 4-1 run and, despite a kill and block from Fiaseu (assisted by freshman Jenness Orcutt), took the second set with a 25-18 win.

Air Force took an early 5-3 lead in the third, behind two scores from Fiaseu (kill, block) and an ace from Pope. After the Bengals took the lead three plays later, Mendivil answered with back-to-back kills – sparking an 8-2 run that included six kills from freshmen (four from Mendivil, one from Simon, one from Orcutt), as well as a pair of blocks that Kirby had a hand in (13-8). Idaho State slowly pulled within one and eventually tied the set at 20-all. Kirby and Fiaseu both put down a pair of kills, but the Bengals completed the comeback to win the set 25-23 and secured the ASMC tournament title.

The Falcons close out the non-conference season next week, when they take on Denver, Utah and Northern Colorado at the UNC Volleyball Invitational. The Falcons will face the Pioneers in Denver on Sept. 16, before taking on the Utes (Sept. 17) and Bears (Sept. 18) in Greeley.

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