Air Force Falls to Nationally-Ranked Utah

Nov. 17, 2006

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Freshman Katie Batchelder posted a team-best 11 kills, but the Air Force volleyball team dropped straight sets to No. 9 Utah on Friday, Nov. 17, at the Academy. The Falcons fell 30-19, 30-17, 30-22, but held several long rallies with the nationally-ranked Utes.

Batchelder led the team with 11 kills and a team-high hitting percentage of .333 (11 kills-2 errors-27 attempts). She also accounted for one of the Falcons' four service aces on the night. Sophomore Jasamine Pettie accounted for six kills, as the duo combined for 17 of the team's 23 total kills. Pettie added in a pair of solo stops, while junior Kim Kallabis tallied for 15 assists, an ace and tied for the team-lead with eight digs. Rebecca Gerton matched her classmate with the team-leading eight digs.

Utah scored first, but Air Force responded to tie the game at three, in part from two Batchelder kills. The Utes pulled ahead once again to double up the Falcons at 14-7. Freshman Jocelyn Booker added a kill and a service error by Utah kept the Falcons within 10, but Air Force eventually succumbed by a 30-19 margin. However, the first set featured a 10-attack scoring drive that caused an ovation from the crowd when the point was finally awarded.

Air Force found itself down 12-3 in the opening minutes of the second set, as a kill by Pettie was the Falcons' only offense. Batchelder, Kallabis and freshman Michelle Harrington posted kills, as Air Force slowly pulled within five (15-10). Batchelder brought the score within four and her ace closed the Falcons' deficit to three (16-13). Utah extended its lead behind an 8-0 run. Gerton added a service ace, but the Falcons fell 30-17.

The Falcons scored first in the third game and the two teams battled for the first six points. Utah again used a long serving streak to take a 14-8 lead, but Air Force remained close with kills from Booker, Pettie and Batchelder, as well as an ace from sophomore Kristina Stewart. The Utes pulled ahead by seven points, despite two more kills from Batchelder. Senior Tara Dunn collected her only kill of the night to hold the Utes from match-point, but the Falcons finally fell 30-22 to Utah.

Air Force wraps up the regular season tomorrow (Nov. 15), as it hosts another nationally-ranked team. The Falcons and 20th-ranked BYU will face each other at 7 p.m., in Clune Arena.

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Players Mentioned

Michelle Harrington

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