Volleyball Loses Two Matches in Second Day of Tournament

Aug. 31, 2002

Air Force suffered two losses in the final day of the Bobcat Classic volleyball tournament. The Falcons fell 3-0 (30-23, 30-28, 30-26) to Mississippi State in an afternoon match. In the evening, the Falcons lost 3-0 (30-26, 30-23, 32-33, 30-26) to tournament host Southwest Texas State.

"Although we didn't win any matches, we played well throughout the tournament," head coach Penny Lucas-White said. "We need to work on eliminating the mental mistakes. We need to work on gaining confidence so that we can put teams away when we are in a position to do so. But we gained a lot of experience this weekend and we know what we need to do."

Against the Bulldogs, after falling 30-23 in game one, the Falcons looked like they would win their first game of the season. The two teams were within a few points of each other the entire game. With the score tied 28-28, the Falcons missed an opportunity to earn a point on an attacking error, and the Bulldogs took advantage, winning the next point for the victory. The final game was tight, but the Bulldogs came out on top for the sweep.

Delavane Diaz led the Falcons in kills for the third consecutive game. She had a match-high 12 kills on 34 attacks, with eight errors. Freshman Kristin Hamlett also finished in double figures for the second time this season, tallying 10 kills. Lamecca Jefferson led the team in digs with eight, while Kristin Huitt had a season-high 34 assists.

The Bulldogs finished the match with a .202 hitting percentage. Rachel Cooper 10 kills and 11 digs for the double double. Misty Hubenthal added 11 kills, while Lauren Bounds had 10 digs.

The Falcons regrouped and prepared to face Southwest Texas State in the final match of the tournament. After losing the first two games of the match, Air Force earned its first game victory of the season, winning 33-31 in a back-and-forth game three. The Falcons battled in game four, but were unable to overcome an early deficit, falling 30-26

Four Falcon hitters finished the game in double figures in kills. Jefferson and Hamlett each had a team-high 14 kills. Tiffany Bishop had 12 kills and six block assists, while Diaz had 11 kills and 16 digs for the double double. Hamlett had 10 digs, notching the first double double of her career. Edmonds and Huitt each had 10 digs. Diaz was named to the all-tournament team.

Air Force was swept in its two matches in the opening day of the tournament - falling to North Texas and Southern Illinois. It marks the first time in Division I history that the Falcons opened a season with four consecutive losses. They will be on the road again next week when they take on Fresno State, UC Santa Barbara and Nicholls State a the Fresno State Invitational, Sept. 6-7.

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