Long Beach State University
2-2
Air Force
1-3
Long Beach State Falls To Air Force In First Match Of The Weekend
9/6/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sep 6, 2013
Long Beach, Calif. - Long Beach State opened up the second weekend of competition with a second five-set loss, falling 22-25, 25-15, 25-27, 25-22, 15-11 to Air Force in a neutral-site match. Senior Delainey Aigner-Swesey led the 49ers in two categories with 18 kills and 14 digs for her second double-double of the season.
Overall, the 49ers hit .280, and three 49ers in Aigner-Swesey, Alex Reid, and Bre Mackie finished with double-digit kills, as Reid added 16 and Mackie finished with a career-high 14 on .417 hitting, but poor passing doomed the 49ers at key times. Air Force finished with 14 aces on the match, including eight from Cami Richan, while Long Beach State had 10 service errors to contribute to the team's serve and pass struggle.
Long Beach State opened with a strong first set, taking a 17-15 edge after an Aigner-Swesey kill to force Air Force into a timeout. The Falcons took a brief lead at 20-19 after a Richan ace, but Long Beach State rallied to tie the set at 22 and take a 23-22 lead on a Chisom Okpala kill. Aigner-Swesey finished off a 25-22 win with two straight kills for Long Beach State in the first set.
The second set belonged to the Falcons, however, as Air Force evened up the match. Leading 18-15 as the Falcons hit .480 overall in the second, Richan took over on serve and made five aces in the next six points followed by a final tough serve forcing Erin Juley into a bad set in a 25-15 set two loss.
The 49ers were able to bounce back to regain the lead in the third behind a strong set from Reid, as the sophomore had seven kills with no errors. The 49ers opened up a 16-13 lead, and held that edge until the Falcons were able to cut the lead back to one with an ace by Ayesha Hein. Air Force was able to force a pair of ties after set points at 24 and 25, but Long Beach State held onto the lead each time, and after a kill from Mackie, the junior right-side and Tiara Wallace finished off the set with a key block to take a 27-25 win.
Life on the edge finally came back to haunt the 49ers in the fourth set, as Long Beach State held a 22-17 lead late, but got trapped in a bad rotation and the Falcons scored seven straight points to take a 25-22 victory in the fourth set. That momentum carried into the fifth set, as Air Force took a 5-2 lead, and held that cushion the rest of the way in a 15-11 final set victory for the Falcons.
With Haleigh Hampton out for an extended stretch with a leg injury, Wallace saw her first action of the season opposite junior Okpala in her return to the starting lineup. The sophomore had three kills and eight blocks with no errors.
The 49ers will have an opportunity to bounce right back, facing San Francisco later this evening on the Dons home court. That match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
