COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Marist volleyball team suffered its first loss of the season on Friday night, a 3-0 defeat at Air Force in its first of three matches at the Air Force Invitational. The Red Foxes dropped the first set 25-16, the second 25-22, and the third 25-18.

Reigning MAAC Player of the Week and junior Courtney Shaw (Centennial, Colo.) led the Red Foxes with eight kills and three blocks, and hit .316. Seniors Mackenzie Stephens (Holland, Mich.) and Marisa Gilbert (Pflugerville, Texas) each totaled seven kills and two blocks. Sophomore Amanda Schlegel (Austin, Texas) finished with 30 assists, three kills in six attacks, three digs and an ace. Senior Brooke Zywick (Garden City, Mich.) had team highs of nine digs and two aces.

Air Force was led by Akokwe Powell, who had 13 kills and a .571 hitting percentage. The Falcons hit .411 as a team, including a .552 mark in the third set.

In set one, Air Force scored six of the final eight points to pull away. Although Marist never led in the second set, the Red Foxes made a strong comeback after trailing 6-1. Down 20-15, the Red Foxes ran off four consecutive points with Zywick serving, including an ace, a kill from Stephens, and two kills from junior Kelsey Lahey (Bowling Green, Ohio). Air Force then recovered to close out the set. Marist carried some momentum into the third set, but Air Force reeled off five straight points to extend its lead to 15-9, and the Falcons never led by less than three the remainder of the set.

Marist is now 3-1; Air Force is 2-3.

Marist will return to action with a pair of matches on Saturday. The Red Foxes will face Weber State at noon EDT, and will close out the tournament with a contest against Houston Baptist at 7 p.m. EDT.