Saturday, September 26
USAFA
1:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
6-7,2-0Mountain West
3
vs
2
San Jose State
5-8,0-2Mountain West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose St. | 25 | 20 | 25 | 19 | 13 | 2 |
| Air Force | 23 | 25 | 15 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Air Force Downs Spartans, 3-2, to Sweep Weekend Series
9/26/2026 8:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- In the first five-set match of the season, the Air Force volleyball team captured a thrilling 3-2 victory over San Jose State at the Academy this afternoon (Sept. 26) to remain undefeated in Mountain West play. With the 23-25, 25-20, 15-25, 25-19, 15-13 win, the Falcons captured their third-straight win over the Spartans – a streak dating back to last season – and started 2-0 in conference play for just the fourth time at the Division I level (2014, 2018, 2023, 2026).
Junior Grace Fiaseu was nearly unstoppable on Saturday, registering a career-high 18 kills on .452 hitting (18-4-31), while adding a season-high seven digs and seven blocks (two solo, five assisted). Fiaseu, senior Annamaria Ramos (16) and junior Alysa Walker (10) combined for 46 of the team's 60 kills, while Walker collected the 17th double-double of her career with 14 digs – a statistic that tied freshman Ella Vogel for a team-leading tally. Junior Mia Loyd tallied 30 assists for her second 30-helper match of the season, while sophomore Sam Pope, who helped on 17 of the team's kills, led Air Force with two service aces.
San Jose State took an early 3-1 lead to start the match and maintained an advantage over the Falcons through the media timeout (15-11), despite multiple kills from Fiaseu and a pair of scores from junior Lainie Stapleton (solo block, kill). Walked scored right out of the break, while three kills form Ramos helped to tie the set at 16 and a solo stop from Fiaseu gave Air Force its first lead of the day at 17-16. The Falcons maintained a narrow advantage off kills from Fiaseu (20-19, 21-20), while a strike from sophomore Sonia Donkeng Okpara pushed the Falcons' lead to two, at 23-21. The Spartans quickly answered, tallying the final four points to secure the narrow 25-23 victory over the Falcons.
Air Force flipped the script at the start of the second, as it jumped out its own 3-1 lead off a kill form Ramo and a Fiaseu/Stapleton block. Okpara and Fiaseu added kills, while back-to-back aces from Pope pushed the Falcons' lead out to five at the 8-3 mark. Freshman Jenness Orcutt put down a kill to maintain that advantage (10-5), while another solo stop from Stapleton sent Air Force into the media timeout with a 15-11 lead. The Spartans pulled within two at 18-16, but the Falcons responded, as junior Bella Christensen (kill) and the blocking duo of Okpara and Ramos helped reestablish a five-point lead (21-16). Three kills from Ramos and another strike from Christensen allowed Air Force to even the match with a 25-20 win.
Two kills from Fiaseu helped Air Force to another 3-1 start in the third, while a pair of scores from Walker (kill, block with Okpara) and a strike from Stapleton pushed the advantage to five (7-2) and sent San Jose State into an early timeout. The Spartans responded out of the break, scoring nine of the next 10 points to take the lead and push their advantage to 11-8. Ramos stopped the run with a kill and teamed with Fiaseu for a block that brought Air Force within one (13-12). Air Force was only able to score three more points in the set, backed by kills from Fiaseu and Okpara), as the Spartans rolled to a 25-15 win.
The Spartans scored four of the first five points in the fourth, but Air Force evened the score at six behind kills from Stapleton, Ramos and Walker. A strike from Christensen tied the set at nine, while Fiaseu put down a kill for a nine-all tie and Ramos scored on the ensuing play to give Air Force its first lead of the set (10-9). San Jose State broke an 11-11 tie with three-straight scores, before heading into the media break with a 15-11 lead. Walked tied the set at 16, while Fiaseu tied the set at 17 and sparked a 6-0 run by the Falcons that included two Walker kills, an ace from Loyd and another pair of scores from Fiaseu (kill, solo block). The junior attackers each added a kill in the final plays, as Air Force tied the match with a 25-19 win – a victory that sent the team in their first 'winner-take-all' set of the year.
Walked struck first in the deciding set, while strikes from Fiaseu and Ramos gave Air Force an early 3-1 lead. The Spartans tied the set at four, but Christensen answered with a kill that that helped the Falcons take another two-point (7-5) lead. San Jose State scored the next five points to go up 10-7, before Christensen put down another run-ending kill. Fiaseu and Ramos put down kills and teamed up for back-to-back blocks during a 4-0 run that gave Air Force a 12-11 advantage. San Jose State tied the set on the next play, but never got any closer, as Air Force held on for the 15-13 victory.
The Falcons head to California next week for their first visit to UC Davis as Mountain West opponents. The teams, who have matching 6-7 (2-0 MW) records, will face off on Thursday, Oct. 1, and Saturday, Oct. 3, at the University Credit Union Center. Both contests will be streamed live on the MW+.
Junior Grace Fiaseu was nearly unstoppable on Saturday, registering a career-high 18 kills on .452 hitting (18-4-31), while adding a season-high seven digs and seven blocks (two solo, five assisted). Fiaseu, senior Annamaria Ramos (16) and junior Alysa Walker (10) combined for 46 of the team's 60 kills, while Walker collected the 17th double-double of her career with 14 digs – a statistic that tied freshman Ella Vogel for a team-leading tally. Junior Mia Loyd tallied 30 assists for her second 30-helper match of the season, while sophomore Sam Pope, who helped on 17 of the team's kills, led Air Force with two service aces.
San Jose State took an early 3-1 lead to start the match and maintained an advantage over the Falcons through the media timeout (15-11), despite multiple kills from Fiaseu and a pair of scores from junior Lainie Stapleton (solo block, kill). Walked scored right out of the break, while three kills form Ramos helped to tie the set at 16 and a solo stop from Fiaseu gave Air Force its first lead of the day at 17-16. The Falcons maintained a narrow advantage off kills from Fiaseu (20-19, 21-20), while a strike from sophomore Sonia Donkeng Okpara pushed the Falcons' lead to two, at 23-21. The Spartans quickly answered, tallying the final four points to secure the narrow 25-23 victory over the Falcons.
Air Force flipped the script at the start of the second, as it jumped out its own 3-1 lead off a kill form Ramo and a Fiaseu/Stapleton block. Okpara and Fiaseu added kills, while back-to-back aces from Pope pushed the Falcons' lead out to five at the 8-3 mark. Freshman Jenness Orcutt put down a kill to maintain that advantage (10-5), while another solo stop from Stapleton sent Air Force into the media timeout with a 15-11 lead. The Spartans pulled within two at 18-16, but the Falcons responded, as junior Bella Christensen (kill) and the blocking duo of Okpara and Ramos helped reestablish a five-point lead (21-16). Three kills from Ramos and another strike from Christensen allowed Air Force to even the match with a 25-20 win.
Two kills from Fiaseu helped Air Force to another 3-1 start in the third, while a pair of scores from Walker (kill, block with Okpara) and a strike from Stapleton pushed the advantage to five (7-2) and sent San Jose State into an early timeout. The Spartans responded out of the break, scoring nine of the next 10 points to take the lead and push their advantage to 11-8. Ramos stopped the run with a kill and teamed with Fiaseu for a block that brought Air Force within one (13-12). Air Force was only able to score three more points in the set, backed by kills from Fiaseu and Okpara), as the Spartans rolled to a 25-15 win.
The Spartans scored four of the first five points in the fourth, but Air Force evened the score at six behind kills from Stapleton, Ramos and Walker. A strike from Christensen tied the set at nine, while Fiaseu put down a kill for a nine-all tie and Ramos scored on the ensuing play to give Air Force its first lead of the set (10-9). San Jose State broke an 11-11 tie with three-straight scores, before heading into the media break with a 15-11 lead. Walked tied the set at 16, while Fiaseu tied the set at 17 and sparked a 6-0 run by the Falcons that included two Walker kills, an ace from Loyd and another pair of scores from Fiaseu (kill, solo block). The junior attackers each added a kill in the final plays, as Air Force tied the match with a 25-19 win – a victory that sent the team in their first 'winner-take-all' set of the year.
Walked struck first in the deciding set, while strikes from Fiaseu and Ramos gave Air Force an early 3-1 lead. The Spartans tied the set at four, but Christensen answered with a kill that that helped the Falcons take another two-point (7-5) lead. San Jose State scored the next five points to go up 10-7, before Christensen put down another run-ending kill. Fiaseu and Ramos put down kills and teamed up for back-to-back blocks during a 4-0 run that gave Air Force a 12-11 advantage. San Jose State tied the set on the next play, but never got any closer, as Air Force held on for the 15-13 victory.
The Falcons head to California next week for their first visit to UC Davis as Mountain West opponents. The teams, who have matching 6-7 (2-0 MW) records, will face off on Thursday, Oct. 1, and Saturday, Oct. 3, at the University Credit Union Center. Both contests will be streamed live on the MW+.
Team Stats
SJSU
USAFA
Kills
67
60
Errors
28
22
Attempts
177
167
Hitting %
.220
.228
Points
88.0
76.0
Assists
63
54
Aces
8
3
Blocks
13
13
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Saturday, September 26
Thursday, September 24
Tuesday, September 22
Tuesday, September 15
