Friday, August 29
USAFA
6:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Jacksonville State
Photo by: Dylan Smith
Volleyball to Open Season Hosting Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic
8/27/2025 12:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Air Force Volleyball kicks off the 2025 season this weekend, when it hosts its annual Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic at the Academy on Aug. 29-31. The Falcons will welcome Jacksonville State, Portland State and Seattle to Cadet East Gym for a six-match tournament.
MATCH INFORMATION
The Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic, which features Air Force, Jacksonville State, Portland State, and Seattle, will kick off the 2025 campaign at the Academy's Cadet East Gym over the Aug 29-31 weekend. Tickets can be purchased at AFTickets.com and the Academy's Clear Bag Policy will be in effect. Live stats will be available and all six matches will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network and MW App (available on Android, iOS, Apple TV, Roku, and Android TV).
AMY SVOBODA MEMORIAL CLASSIC
Friday-Sunday | August 29-31 | Full Schedule Below
USAFA | Cadet East Gym
Tickets | Base Access | Air Force Volleyball Notes
SCHEDULE OF MATCHES
08.29 – Portland State vs Jacksonville State – 11:00 am – Stat Feed – MWN
08.29 – Seattle vs Portland State – 3:00 pm – Stat Feed – MWN
08.29 – Jacksonville State vs Air Force – 6:00 pm – Stat Feed – MWN
08.30 – Seattle vs Jacksonville State – 10:00 am – Stat Feed – MWN
08.30 – Portland State vs Air Force – 1:00 pm – Stat Feed – MWN
08.31 – Seattle vs Air Force – 12:00 pm – Stat Feed – MWN
BASE ACCESS, PARKING & TRAFFIC
Anyone without a DoD ID card must obtain a visitor pass to enter the Air Force Academy for athletic events. Please click HERE for more information and to apply for a visitors pass. For fans attending Friday's matches, be aware that parking will be limited due to Parents' Weekend activities at USAFA. In addition, fans attending Air Force's match with Portland State on Saturday should expect an influx of traffic at the gate due to crowds arriving for the Falcons' football game.
REMEMBERING AMY SVOBODA
This weekend's tournament is named after Amy Svoboda, a 1989 Academy graduate and four-year letterwinner on the Air Force volleyball team, who was killed during an A-10 training accident in 1997. Svoboda, who earned MVP honors during her senior season with the Falcons, was one of the first 14 female fighter pilots in the Air Force – and one of the first six to fly the A-10.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic was created in 2014 and past champions include California (2014), Arizona State (2015), Grand Canyon (2016), Valparaiso (2018), Virginia Tech (2019), Air Force (2022), UT Arlington (2023), and South Dakota (2024).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
This is the opening weekend of the 2025 season for all four teams at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic. Jacksonville State went 10-21 last year, while Portland State (8-20) and Seattle (8-19) both accounted for eight wins in 2024.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Falcons are 3-8 against this weekend's opponents. Air Force is a perfect 2-0 against Jacksonville State, with both victories – a 3-0 sweep in 2000 and a 3-2 season-opening nail-biter at the 2016 Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic – coming at the Academy. The Falcons are 1-5 all-time against Portland State and 0-3 against Seattle. The Falcons have only faced the Vikings three times at the Division I level (0-3) and the last meeting happening in 2007, while Air Force met up with the Redhawks in San Francisco last season – and will face them again this year at SIUE.
AIR FORCE IN OPENERS
The Falcons hold a 27-22 record in the first match of a new season – a tally that includes an 14-15 mark at the Division I level. Backed by five-straight victories, the Falcons are also 17-12 in home openers since joining Division I.
CLOSING IN ON A MILESTONE
Jordan Suan enters the 2025 season ranked among Air Force's Division I Top 10 in career digs, with 918 digs.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Air Force welcomed five talented newcomers to its lineup for the 2025 season, with the addition of Sophie Bridges, Zoe Kirby, Sonia Okpara, Sam Pope, and Amelia Porisch.
THE LONG BLUE LINE
Two members of the freshman class are second-generation cadet-athletes at the Air Force Academy, as Sam Pope's father Dylan (Class of 2000) was a member of the basketball team and Amelia Porisch's father Luke (Class of 2001) was a member of the football team. In addition, Alysa Walker is the younger sister of former Air Force basketball player and 2022 USAFA graduate, AJ Walker.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Ashley Bible and Jordan Suan will serve as the team captains for the 2025 season.
INTO THE BLUE
Former Falcon – and current NASA astronaut – Nichole (Stilwell) Ayers returned to Earth in early August following 146 days on the International Space Station. As the pilot for NASA's SpaceX Crew 10 mission to the ISS, Ayers served as the flight engineer for Expedition 72 and 73, completing one spacewalk that totaled five hours and 44 minutes.
RECORD BOOK NOW AVAILABLE
The 2025 Air Force Volleyball Record Book is available online at GoAirForceFalcons.com.
ON THE BENCH
Macey Donathan is in her second season as the head coach of the Falcons' volleyball team. Donathan, who claimed All-America honors as a player at Arizona State and is the Sun Devils' all-time leader in career kills (1882), joined the Academy staff in January 2024, after coaching stops at Liberty, Arizona State, and Arkansas. She will be assisted on the sidelines by another pair of All-Americans – second-year assistant Claire Felix (UCLA) and newcomer Deedra Walker (Colorado State), while Elsa Krieg returns for her fourth season as the team's director of operations.
WHAT'S ON DECK
Air Force will head out on the road next week, as it travels to Annapolis, Md., for the Kristen Dickmann Invitational. The Falcons will open the tournament against service academy rival Navy on Friday, Sept. 5, before facing Wake Forest on Saturday, Sept. 6, and George Mason on Sunday, Sept. 7.
MATCH INFORMATION
The Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic, which features Air Force, Jacksonville State, Portland State, and Seattle, will kick off the 2025 campaign at the Academy's Cadet East Gym over the Aug 29-31 weekend. Tickets can be purchased at AFTickets.com and the Academy's Clear Bag Policy will be in effect. Live stats will be available and all six matches will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network and MW App (available on Android, iOS, Apple TV, Roku, and Android TV).
AMY SVOBODA MEMORIAL CLASSIC
Friday-Sunday | August 29-31 | Full Schedule Below
USAFA | Cadet East Gym
Tickets | Base Access | Air Force Volleyball Notes
SCHEDULE OF MATCHES
08.29 – Portland State vs Jacksonville State – 11:00 am – Stat Feed – MWN
08.29 – Seattle vs Portland State – 3:00 pm – Stat Feed – MWN
08.29 – Jacksonville State vs Air Force – 6:00 pm – Stat Feed – MWN
08.30 – Seattle vs Jacksonville State – 10:00 am – Stat Feed – MWN
08.30 – Portland State vs Air Force – 1:00 pm – Stat Feed – MWN
08.31 – Seattle vs Air Force – 12:00 pm – Stat Feed – MWN
BASE ACCESS, PARKING & TRAFFIC
Anyone without a DoD ID card must obtain a visitor pass to enter the Air Force Academy for athletic events. Please click HERE for more information and to apply for a visitors pass. For fans attending Friday's matches, be aware that parking will be limited due to Parents' Weekend activities at USAFA. In addition, fans attending Air Force's match with Portland State on Saturday should expect an influx of traffic at the gate due to crowds arriving for the Falcons' football game.
REMEMBERING AMY SVOBODA
This weekend's tournament is named after Amy Svoboda, a 1989 Academy graduate and four-year letterwinner on the Air Force volleyball team, who was killed during an A-10 training accident in 1997. Svoboda, who earned MVP honors during her senior season with the Falcons, was one of the first 14 female fighter pilots in the Air Force – and one of the first six to fly the A-10.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic was created in 2014 and past champions include California (2014), Arizona State (2015), Grand Canyon (2016), Valparaiso (2018), Virginia Tech (2019), Air Force (2022), UT Arlington (2023), and South Dakota (2024).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
This is the opening weekend of the 2025 season for all four teams at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic. Jacksonville State went 10-21 last year, while Portland State (8-20) and Seattle (8-19) both accounted for eight wins in 2024.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Falcons are 3-8 against this weekend's opponents. Air Force is a perfect 2-0 against Jacksonville State, with both victories – a 3-0 sweep in 2000 and a 3-2 season-opening nail-biter at the 2016 Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic – coming at the Academy. The Falcons are 1-5 all-time against Portland State and 0-3 against Seattle. The Falcons have only faced the Vikings three times at the Division I level (0-3) and the last meeting happening in 2007, while Air Force met up with the Redhawks in San Francisco last season – and will face them again this year at SIUE.
AIR FORCE IN OPENERS
The Falcons hold a 27-22 record in the first match of a new season – a tally that includes an 14-15 mark at the Division I level. Backed by five-straight victories, the Falcons are also 17-12 in home openers since joining Division I.
CLOSING IN ON A MILESTONE
Jordan Suan enters the 2025 season ranked among Air Force's Division I Top 10 in career digs, with 918 digs.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Air Force welcomed five talented newcomers to its lineup for the 2025 season, with the addition of Sophie Bridges, Zoe Kirby, Sonia Okpara, Sam Pope, and Amelia Porisch.
THE LONG BLUE LINE
Two members of the freshman class are second-generation cadet-athletes at the Air Force Academy, as Sam Pope's father Dylan (Class of 2000) was a member of the basketball team and Amelia Porisch's father Luke (Class of 2001) was a member of the football team. In addition, Alysa Walker is the younger sister of former Air Force basketball player and 2022 USAFA graduate, AJ Walker.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Ashley Bible and Jordan Suan will serve as the team captains for the 2025 season.
INTO THE BLUE
Former Falcon – and current NASA astronaut – Nichole (Stilwell) Ayers returned to Earth in early August following 146 days on the International Space Station. As the pilot for NASA's SpaceX Crew 10 mission to the ISS, Ayers served as the flight engineer for Expedition 72 and 73, completing one spacewalk that totaled five hours and 44 minutes.
RECORD BOOK NOW AVAILABLE
The 2025 Air Force Volleyball Record Book is available online at GoAirForceFalcons.com.
ON THE BENCH
Macey Donathan is in her second season as the head coach of the Falcons' volleyball team. Donathan, who claimed All-America honors as a player at Arizona State and is the Sun Devils' all-time leader in career kills (1882), joined the Academy staff in January 2024, after coaching stops at Liberty, Arizona State, and Arkansas. She will be assisted on the sidelines by another pair of All-Americans – second-year assistant Claire Felix (UCLA) and newcomer Deedra Walker (Colorado State), while Elsa Krieg returns for her fourth season as the team's director of operations.
WHAT'S ON DECK
Air Force will head out on the road next week, as it travels to Annapolis, Md., for the Kristen Dickmann Invitational. The Falcons will open the tournament against service academy rival Navy on Friday, Sept. 5, before facing Wake Forest on Saturday, Sept. 6, and George Mason on Sunday, Sept. 7.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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