Air Force Academy
UNLV
Falcon Volleyball Falls To The Rebels
11/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 8, 2003
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Despite stellar hitting by sophomore Kristin Hamlett (Escondido, Calif.), the Air Force volleyball team fell to UNLV in three games on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Cadet East Gym. The Falcons dropped the first two matches 30-20, before narrowly falling 30-27 in the final game. Air Force is now 13-13 overall and 3-9 in Mountain West Conference play with just two games remaining. The Rebels moved to 11-13 (4-8 MWC).
Hamlett led all Air Force attackers with a .346 hitting percentage (the second highest percentage of all hitters), serving 13 kills on 26 attempts, while committing just four errors in the match. Senior Delavane Diaz (Tampa, Fla.) also posted a double-digit total in kills with 12, while juniors Lamecca Jefferson (Beeville, Texas) and Molly White (Lafayette, La.) added six and five, respectively. Senior Kristin Huitt (Fresno, Calif.) led both teams with 39 assists.
The first plays of the opening game showed a pair of evenly matched teams. As soon as one team scored, the other side quickly evened things up on the next play. The Rebels took a two-point lead at the 6-4 mark and retained the lead for the remainder of the game. Air Force pulled it within two several times during the game, but UNLV refused to relinquish the lead. Slowly, Rebels began to pull away and took the ten point victory.
The second game saw Air Force get into a quick 7-1 hole and fight to come back. Although the Falcons continued to put points on the board, the Rebels did the same and went on to take the second game by a 30-20 margin.
Air Force exploded at the start of the third game, shooting out a 6-1 lead, taking the first five consecutive points. Behind two kills and an ace by Hamlett, the Falcons jumped out to a 11-4 lead. Air Force held an eight point lead at several times in the final game, but the Rebels refused to go away. With the score 15-7 in favor of the Falcons, UNLV made its move, pulling within three at 20-17. A kill by Diaz and two aces by sophomore Rebecca Gallegos (Las Vegas, N.M.) improved the Falcons lead to 23-17. But again, the Rebels remained in the picture. When the Falcons were just four points shy of their first conference game win since Oct. 24, UNLV embarked on a 7-0 run to take the lead at 28-26. Air Force added one more point on a Diaz kill, but the Rebels took the game by a heartbreaking 30-27 score.
Errors hurt the Falcons, who committed 34 attacking errors in the three game match, which caused the team's hitting percentage to be below .100 in all three games.
Defensively, the Falcons posted six total blocks, including a pair of solo stops by Diaz and Gallegos. White and Hamlett each accounted for three assisted blocks. Diaz also led all Falcons in digs with seven, while Jefferson and Hamlett added five apiece.
The Falcons close out the regular season with a trip to Colorado State and Wyoming next weekend. Air Force visits league-leading No. 15 Colorado State on Friday, Nov. 14, before taking on Wyoming the next night (Saturday, Nov. 15). Both games are slated for 7 p.m.
Note: Prior to tonight's match with UNLV, the Falcon volleyball program recognized its five seniors. Current players, Delavane Diaz, Brittany Edmonds and Kristin Huitt were honored as well as former athletes, Katie Dildy and Brandi Raifsnider.
