Air Force Volleyball Team Defeats Denver, 3-1

Oct. 30, 2001

The Air Force volleyball team snapped a 15-match losing streak with a 3-1 (32-30, 19-30, 30-25, 30-27) victory over in-state rival Denver. The non-conference win was the Falcons' first home victory of the season.

"Our team dug deep and our players played with a lot of heart," said head coach Penny Lucas-White. "We played with focus, which says a lot for a team with so many losses. It shows that our players still believe in themselves, and I am proud of them."

In game one, the Falcons had 16 kills and just three errors for a strong .445 hitting percentage. Although Air Force kept the game close with seven reception errors and five service errors, the team was still able to squeak a 32-30 victory.

Things fell apart for Air Force in game two, as they had a -.091 hitting percentage, tallying eight kills and 12 errors. Denver won easily, 30-19, and it appeared the Falcons were destined for another loss. But the team rallied in game three, hitting an astounding .514, with 22 kills and four errors. They grabbed the 30-25 victory and used the momentum to win game four, 30-27.

For the first time this season, the Falcons had three players finish the game in double figures for kills. Delavane Diaz led all hitters with 22 kills on 40 attempts and just four errors for a season-high .450 hitting percentage. Tiffany Bishop had a career-high 14 kills and tallied four block solos and three block assists. Lamecca Jefferson had a career-high 13 kills, while Brittany Edmonds notched a career-high 16 digs.

Kellie Savage led the Pioneers with 13 kills, while Mary England had 13 kills and Jennifer Karas had 10 kills. The team finished the match with a .209 hitting percentage.

The Falcons (2-17, 0-11 MWC) will look to carry some momentum into its final home game of the season, a Friday (Nov. 2) match against New Mexico. Match time is set for 7 p.m.

Footer

The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the u.s air force of non-u.s. government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although the u.s. air force may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for department of defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.