Photo by: Jonathan Suni
Falcons Sweep Utah Valley in Tournament Finale
9/5/2026 1:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
VERMILLION, S.D. -- The Air Force volleyball team wrapped up the South Dakota Classic with a 3-0 sweep of Utah Valley this morning (Sept. 5) in Vermillion. The Falcons, who hit over .300 for the match (51-10-131 = .313), downed the Wolverines in straight 25-20, 25-20, 25-21 sets to improve to 2-3 on the weekend.
Junior Alysa Walker paced all players with 19 kills on .474 hitting (19-1-38), while senior Annamaria Ramos added 13 to help the pair account for over half the Falcons' kill total for the second-straight match. Sophomore Sam Pope led the team with 26 assists and two aces, while freshman Ella Vogel recorded her first 20-dig match (21) and sophomore Zoe Kirby recorded a match-high four blocks (all assisted).
The match was delayed 30 minutes due to a power outage at the Sanford Sports Center, caused by storms in the area. Once the contest started, Air Force and Utah Valley traded points, with Ramos (1-1, 2-2), freshman Jenness Orcutt (3-3) and Walker (4-4) posting set-tying kills. Ramos and Kirby teamed up for the Falcons' next five points, as the pair both tallied two kills and assisted on a block to give the Falcons a 10-8 lead. Back-and-forth action resumed until Walker put down back-to-back scores to push Air Force's advantage to three (16-13). The Wolverines pulled within one (16-15) two plays later, but the Falcons responded with kills from Stapleton, Walker and Ramos (two). Another UVU run (21-19) was halted by Orcutt, while Walker put down the Falcons' final three scores for the 25-21 win.
The Wolverines took a fast 5-2 lead to start the second, but a five-point run by the Falcons – that included a pair of service aces from Pope – gave the Falcons a two-point advantage at the 7-5 mark. The teams traded scores, with Air Force holding its lead off kills from junior Grace Fiaseu, Walker and Orcutt. After Utah Valley tied the set at 10, Kirby and Stapleton teamed up for a block, while a pair of kills from Ramos sent the Falcons into the media timeout with a 15-12 lead. The Falcons pushed their lead to five out of the break (17-12), while another strike from Walker maintained that margin at 19-14. Utah Valley scored the next three points to pull within two, but Fiaseu stopped that run with a kill and Walker put down a strike to push the Falcons' lead back to three (21-19). Kirby put the Falcons at set point, while a kill from Ramos secured the second-straight 25-21 win for Air Force.
After Utah Valley took a 3-1 lead to start the third, Air Force answered with kills from Ramos (two) and Orcutt to take a 4-3 lead. Walker traded the next four points with the Wolverines to maintain the Falcons' lead (5-4, 6-5), while a third kill from the junior was bookended by an Orcutt kill and a Kirby/Stapleton block to push the Falcons' lead to two (9-7). The Wolverines scored nine of the next 12 points to retake the lead at 16-12, but Air Force answered that run with an impressive 9-0 run that included three kills from Walker and an ace from Ramos. Leading 21-16 at the end of that run, the Falcons quickly reached match (24-18) with a three-point swing. Walker, who put down a kill and teamed with Kirby for a block during that run, tallied the final kill to give Air Force a 25-20 win and its second sweep of the season.
Air Force opens the home portion of the 2026 season next week, when it hosts the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic at Cadet East Gym. The Falcons open their three-day tournament against Little Rock at 7:00 p.m. (MT) on Thursday, Sept. 10. All Air Force home matches will be streamed live on MW+ – the new digital subscription platform of the Mountain West, powered by Kiswe. [click HERE to subscribe].
Junior Alysa Walker paced all players with 19 kills on .474 hitting (19-1-38), while senior Annamaria Ramos added 13 to help the pair account for over half the Falcons' kill total for the second-straight match. Sophomore Sam Pope led the team with 26 assists and two aces, while freshman Ella Vogel recorded her first 20-dig match (21) and sophomore Zoe Kirby recorded a match-high four blocks (all assisted).
The match was delayed 30 minutes due to a power outage at the Sanford Sports Center, caused by storms in the area. Once the contest started, Air Force and Utah Valley traded points, with Ramos (1-1, 2-2), freshman Jenness Orcutt (3-3) and Walker (4-4) posting set-tying kills. Ramos and Kirby teamed up for the Falcons' next five points, as the pair both tallied two kills and assisted on a block to give the Falcons a 10-8 lead. Back-and-forth action resumed until Walker put down back-to-back scores to push Air Force's advantage to three (16-13). The Wolverines pulled within one (16-15) two plays later, but the Falcons responded with kills from Stapleton, Walker and Ramos (two). Another UVU run (21-19) was halted by Orcutt, while Walker put down the Falcons' final three scores for the 25-21 win.
The Wolverines took a fast 5-2 lead to start the second, but a five-point run by the Falcons – that included a pair of service aces from Pope – gave the Falcons a two-point advantage at the 7-5 mark. The teams traded scores, with Air Force holding its lead off kills from junior Grace Fiaseu, Walker and Orcutt. After Utah Valley tied the set at 10, Kirby and Stapleton teamed up for a block, while a pair of kills from Ramos sent the Falcons into the media timeout with a 15-12 lead. The Falcons pushed their lead to five out of the break (17-12), while another strike from Walker maintained that margin at 19-14. Utah Valley scored the next three points to pull within two, but Fiaseu stopped that run with a kill and Walker put down a strike to push the Falcons' lead back to three (21-19). Kirby put the Falcons at set point, while a kill from Ramos secured the second-straight 25-21 win for Air Force.
After Utah Valley took a 3-1 lead to start the third, Air Force answered with kills from Ramos (two) and Orcutt to take a 4-3 lead. Walker traded the next four points with the Wolverines to maintain the Falcons' lead (5-4, 6-5), while a third kill from the junior was bookended by an Orcutt kill and a Kirby/Stapleton block to push the Falcons' lead to two (9-7). The Wolverines scored nine of the next 12 points to retake the lead at 16-12, but Air Force answered that run with an impressive 9-0 run that included three kills from Walker and an ace from Ramos. Leading 21-16 at the end of that run, the Falcons quickly reached match (24-18) with a three-point swing. Walker, who put down a kill and teamed with Kirby for a block during that run, tallied the final kill to give Air Force a 25-20 win and its second sweep of the season.
Air Force opens the home portion of the 2026 season next week, when it hosts the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic at Cadet East Gym. The Falcons open their three-day tournament against Little Rock at 7:00 p.m. (MT) on Thursday, Sept. 10. All Air Force home matches will be streamed live on MW+ – the new digital subscription platform of the Mountain West, powered by Kiswe. [click HERE to subscribe].
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballTuesday, September 15
Saturday, September 12
Friday, September 11
Thursday, September 10
