Falcons Defeat Hofstra to Win Falcon Invitational

Sept. 21, 2002

Air Force rebounded from a game-one loss to win the next three games and defeat Hofstra 3-1 (22-30, 30-25, 30-26, 20-17) in the championship match of the Falcon Invitational. The Falcons went 3-0 in the two-day tournament to capture first-place honors.

"I am so proud of the way we played in the tournament," head coach Penny Lucas-White said. "We now have the desired momentum to carry into our conference competition. We have overcome some early season adversity and are ready to compete in the Mountain West."

Delavane Diaz finished the match with 21 kills and a hitting percentage of .304. She was named tournament MVP, marking the second consecutive weekend of winning tournament MVP honors.

Tiffany Bishop rebounded from an ankle injury in the early game to notch 16 kills and just two errors on 21 attacks (.669 hitting percentage) to be named to the all-tournament team. Lamecca Jefferson, who for the first time in her career eclipsed 20 kills, was also selected to the team.

Setter Kristin Huitt had a tremendous tournament. She finished with 53 assists and 10 digs for her second double-double of the day. She earned the all-tournament setter award.

The Falcons finished the match with a .403 hitting percentage (68k-129a-16e). They tallied 50 digs and had eight team blocks. Elise Hickerson had a career-high 12 digs to lead the team, while Bishop had a season-high four solo blocks.

Hofstra's Stefanie Rewitz and April Nick were also selected to the all-tournament team. Against the Falcons, Nick and Rewitz led the team with 13 kills each. Other players receiving all-tournament recognition were Stefanie Budinger (San Francisco) and Kira Smedley (Stetson).

The Falcons have won six of their last seven matches. Their record improves to 6-8. They next travel to Albuquerque on Sept. 28 to open conference play against New Mexico.

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