Thursday, September 24
USAFA
6:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
5-7,1-0Mountain West
3
vs
0
San Jose State
5-7,0-1Mountain West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose St. | 16 | 25 | 15 | 0 |
| Air Force | 25 | 27 | 25 | 3 |
Falcons Open MW Play with Sweep of San Jose State
9/24/2026 9:32:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force volleyball team opened conference play with an impressive 3-0 sweep of San Jose State this evening (Sept. 24) at the Cadet East Gym. Backed by the return of senior Annamaria Ramos and junior Alysa Walker, the Falcons rolled to a 25-16, 27-25, 25-15 victory over the Spartans – and improved to 2-1 in MW openers under head coach Macey Donathan.
In her return to the front row, Ramos put down 13 kills on .429 hitting (13-1-28), while Walker tallied 12 kills after being out the last four contests. Junior Grace Fiaseu, who added 11 strikes and three blocks (two solo, one assisted) to the Falcons' total, hit at a season-high .667 clip – committing just one error on 15 swings. Sophomore Sam Pope, who tied with freshman Aylani Correa for a match-best three service aces, led the team with 20 assists, while freshman Ella Vogel recorded a match-high 17 digs.
The Falcons out-performed the Spartans in kills (46-36), digs (42-39), and blocks (5-3), while holding 119-point advantage in hitting (.315-.196) and out-serving San Jose State by an 8-0 margin.
San Jose State struck first in opening plays of the match, before an ace from Pope tied the set at four. Following a tie at five-all. Air Force started to pull away, with sophomore Sonia Donkeng Okpara putting down a pair of kills to give the Falcons a three-point cushion (9-6). An ace from Correa and a kill from freshman Jeness Orcutt helped double-up the Spartans at the 12-6 mark, while two kills and a block from Ramos (assisted by Fiaseu) sent Air Force into the media timeout with a 15-9 advantage. Back-to-back kills from Donkeng Okpara, as well as a strike from Walker, pushed the lead to nine (19-10). Orcutt, Fiaseu (two), and Walker added kills, while an ace from junior Mia Loyd helped to secure the 25-16 win.
The Spartans struck early and often in the second set, racing out to an 11-4 lead – and extending it to 15-6 at the media timeout. Donkeng Okpara (kill) and Pope (ace) started a run by the Falcons, who eventually pulled within one (17-18) behind kills from Walker, Ramos, Donkeng Okpara, as well as another Correa ace. Fiaseu kept the Falcons within one at the 18-19 mark, while a pair of attacking errors from the Spartans allowed Air Force to tie the set at 21 and take the lead (22-21) on the next play. A block from Donkeng Okpara and junior Lainie Stapleton gave Air Force its largest lead of the set (23-21), while a kill from Walker put the Falcons at set point (24-22). San Jose State evened the set at 24 – and again at 25, but a kill from Ramos helped Air Force complete the ferocious comeback with a 27-25 victory.
Stapleton opened the third set with a kill, while a solo block from Fiaseu, a service ace from Ramos and a kill from Walker gave Air Force the quick 4-0 lead. San Jose State responded to tie the set at eight, but Air Force scored the next four points from Ramos (two kills) and Fiaseu (kill, solo block) for a 12-8 lead. The pair each added another kill for a 14-11 advantage, while Walke put down four of the Falcons' next five points, enroute to a 19-13 lead. Correa served up her third ace of the day for a match-ending run, as two kills form Ramos secured the 25-15 sweep – the program's second-straight home sweep of the Spartans.
Air Force and San Jose State will face off at Cadet East Gym again on Saturday (Sept 26), under the Mountain West's new scheduling format. The first serve is set for 1:00 p.m. (MT) and the contest will be streamed live on MW+.
In her return to the front row, Ramos put down 13 kills on .429 hitting (13-1-28), while Walker tallied 12 kills after being out the last four contests. Junior Grace Fiaseu, who added 11 strikes and three blocks (two solo, one assisted) to the Falcons' total, hit at a season-high .667 clip – committing just one error on 15 swings. Sophomore Sam Pope, who tied with freshman Aylani Correa for a match-best three service aces, led the team with 20 assists, while freshman Ella Vogel recorded a match-high 17 digs.
The Falcons out-performed the Spartans in kills (46-36), digs (42-39), and blocks (5-3), while holding 119-point advantage in hitting (.315-.196) and out-serving San Jose State by an 8-0 margin.
San Jose State struck first in opening plays of the match, before an ace from Pope tied the set at four. Following a tie at five-all. Air Force started to pull away, with sophomore Sonia Donkeng Okpara putting down a pair of kills to give the Falcons a three-point cushion (9-6). An ace from Correa and a kill from freshman Jeness Orcutt helped double-up the Spartans at the 12-6 mark, while two kills and a block from Ramos (assisted by Fiaseu) sent Air Force into the media timeout with a 15-9 advantage. Back-to-back kills from Donkeng Okpara, as well as a strike from Walker, pushed the lead to nine (19-10). Orcutt, Fiaseu (two), and Walker added kills, while an ace from junior Mia Loyd helped to secure the 25-16 win.
The Spartans struck early and often in the second set, racing out to an 11-4 lead – and extending it to 15-6 at the media timeout. Donkeng Okpara (kill) and Pope (ace) started a run by the Falcons, who eventually pulled within one (17-18) behind kills from Walker, Ramos, Donkeng Okpara, as well as another Correa ace. Fiaseu kept the Falcons within one at the 18-19 mark, while a pair of attacking errors from the Spartans allowed Air Force to tie the set at 21 and take the lead (22-21) on the next play. A block from Donkeng Okpara and junior Lainie Stapleton gave Air Force its largest lead of the set (23-21), while a kill from Walker put the Falcons at set point (24-22). San Jose State evened the set at 24 – and again at 25, but a kill from Ramos helped Air Force complete the ferocious comeback with a 27-25 victory.
Stapleton opened the third set with a kill, while a solo block from Fiaseu, a service ace from Ramos and a kill from Walker gave Air Force the quick 4-0 lead. San Jose State responded to tie the set at eight, but Air Force scored the next four points from Ramos (two kills) and Fiaseu (kill, solo block) for a 12-8 lead. The pair each added another kill for a 14-11 advantage, while Walke put down four of the Falcons' next five points, enroute to a 19-13 lead. Correa served up her third ace of the day for a match-ending run, as two kills form Ramos secured the 25-15 sweep – the program's second-straight home sweep of the Spartans.
Air Force and San Jose State will face off at Cadet East Gym again on Saturday (Sept 26), under the Mountain West's new scheduling format. The first serve is set for 1:00 p.m. (MT) and the contest will be streamed live on MW+.
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
SJSU
USAFA
Kills
36
46
Errors
16
12
Attempts
102
108
Hitting %
.196
.315
Points
39.0
59.0
Assists
35
41
Aces
0
8
Blocks
3
5
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Saturday, September 26
Thursday, September 24
Tuesday, September 22
Tuesday, September 15
