Falcons Travel to UNLV, San Diego State

Nov. 7, 2006

The Air Force volleyball team closes out the road portion of the regular season this weekend, traveling to UNLV and San Diego State for a pair of conference matches. The Falcons open the extended weekend of play on Friday (Nov. 10) in Las Vegas, before traveling to San Diego on Sunday (Nov. 12). The Falcons' match with UNLV is slated for 7 p.m., while its match at San Diego State will begin at noon.

Weekly Release 13: at UNLV and San Diego State
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UNLV REBELS

2006 Record: 16-9 (7-6 MWC)

Head Coach: Allison Keeley

Series Record: UNLV leads 19-2

Who to Watch: Maria Aladjova (3.86 kpg); Jada Walker (5.13 dpg)

Notables: UNLV leads the league in digs per game (19.36)

SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS

2006 Record: 10-15 (4-9 MWC)

Head Coach: Mark Warner

Series Record: San Diego State leads 18-1

Who to Watch: Melanie Green (3.76 kpg, 2.59 dpg)

Notables: Aime Cordeiro leads the league in digs per game (5.49)

LAST TIME OUT: Air Force fell to San Diego State and UNLV during a pair of weekend matches at the Academy. The Falcons dropped a three-game set to the Aztecs on Friday, before losing straight sets to the Rebels on Saturday.

B&B: Freshmen Katie Batchelder and Jocelyn Booker have led the Falcons in kills for the past eight matches. Batchelder has posted the highest total in the last seven matches, while Booker tallied the team's best production in the other match. In addition, the duo has combined to tally six of the team's top hitting percentages during that same span. And not to leave out the Falcons' other "B" last namer, junior Ellen Bina had recorded the most digs during five of the past eight matches.

FINALLY!: Air Force snapped its 14-match winless streak with a pair of victories over Centenary and Alcorn State in a non-conference doubleheader on Oct. 16. After dropping the first two sets to Centenary, the Falcons responded with three straight wins, en route to the 3-2 match win. In the nightcap, Air Force swept host Alcorn State with a 3-0 victory. The wins are the first for Air Force since a 3-0 sweep of Norfolk State on Sept. 1. The third game victory against Centenary also snapped a 29-game losing streak for the Falcons.

NOW SERVING...: Over the victorious weekend, Air Force caught its opponents from the line. Against Centenary, the Falcons served up 14 total aces - a mark just two shy of the new Division I single-match record that was set earlier this year. Freshman Katie Batchelder and sophomore Kristina Stewart chipped in four apiece, while junior Rebecca Gerton put down three. In the nightcap with Alcorn State, Air Force produced 12 aces - five of which came from Gerton to match her career-best output. Batchelder and Morgan Dolan each tallied a pair against the Braves.

BLOCK PARTY: Air Force blocked its way to 17 total stops against Centenary - one shy of the Division I single-match record (18) set in 1999. Freshman Michelle Harrington assisted on four blocks, while adding a trio of solo stops. In addition, classmates Katie Batchelder and Jocelyn Booker added in six assisted blocks.

BY THE NUMBERS: 16 of the Falcons' current 18 players have seen game action. Nine of those have registered at least five kills, 10 have accounted for at least one assist, 12 have tallied at least one ace, 14 have registered at least one dig and 10 have accounted for at least one block.

'RANK' YOU VERY MUCH: The Falcons are currently ranked fourth in the MWC with 1.63 aces per game. Only TCU (2.11), New Mexico (1.80) and Utah (1.71) are ranked higher. Junior Rebecca Gerton is ranked third in the league with a 0.40 ace-per-game average, while freshman Katie Batchelder is ranked seventh with a 0.33 average. In other categories, junior Kim Kallabis is ninth with 6.68 assists per game.

MORE STATISICAL NEWS: With 16 total aces against Norfolk State, Air Force is tied for the lead in the MWC single-match statistics. In addition, the Falcons' 14 aces against Centenary are tied for the second-most in a single-match, while the 17.0 total blocks Air Force registered against CC is ranked fifth. Individually, Rebecca Gerton is ranked third for the five she put down in each of those matches. Michelle Harrington's .684 hitting percentage against Alcorn State is ranked third in the league.

ON THE HORIZON: Air Force closes out the regular season hosting Utah and BYU on Nov. 17-18.

Players Mentioned

Michelle Harrington

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