Air Force Academy
BYU
Nichole Stilwell Leads Falcons Against No. 23 BYU
9/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 29, 2007
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Freshman Nichole Stilwell collected seven kills and a season-best seven assisted blocks, as the Air Force volleyball team dropped a gritty three-game decision to 23rd-ranked BYU on Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Academy's Clune Arena. Stilwell earned seven of the team's 18 assisted stops, which matches the second-best team output of the season.
Stilwell led the Falcons with seven kills, while classmate Caroline Kurtz and sophomore Michelle Harrington each added in six. While Stilwell's seven assisted blocks were a team-best, junior Jasamine Pettie contributed on six stops of her own. Senior Kim Kallabis and freshman Stephanie Stanford tallied respective assist totals of 19 and 11, while Stanford and senior Rebecca Gerton shared the team-lead with two service aces apiece. Gerton also led the team with 13 digs, while Kurtz recorded 10.
Air Force earned the first two points of the match; thanks in part to a service ace from Kallabis. Harrington kept the score tied at three, while junior Kristina Stewart matched things up again at four. Back-to-back aces by Stanford gave the Falcons a 7-5 lead, but the Cougars tallied the next five points to take the 10-7 lead. BYU extended its margin, before ultimately taking the first game by a 30-17 score.
The two squads went point-for-point during the opening minutes of the second set. An ace by Gerton, along with kills from Batchelder, Stewart, Pettie, Harrington and Stilwell saw the point-total deadlock at every increment until the 11-11 mark. BYU took the first two-point advantage of the game (13-11), but a kill by Stilwell kept the Falcons within one. A stretch of eight straight serves by BYU gave the Cougars the advantage they needed to take the second game by a 30-21 margin.
Air Force found itself down a quick 7-1 to start the third game, but the Falcons never gave up. Backed by another Gerton ace, Air Force slowly crawled back into the set, pulling within five at the 15-10 mark. Kills from Harrington, Stewart and freshman Julia Hansen brought the Falcons to within three (16-13). Stewart added an ace of her own during a drive that brought Air Force to within two (19-17). BYU extended its lead to five at the 16-21 mark, but two kills by Stilwell and three straight BYU attacking errors allowed Air Force to close the gap to two (27-25). A block by Harrington and Pettie kept the Falcons within a pair at 29-27, but the Cougars edged out the Falcons by a 30-27 total.
After a short two-match respite at the Academy, the Falcons return to the road for another pair of Mountain West Conference matches. Air Force will travel to San Diego, Calif., to take on the Aztecs of San Diego State on Thursday (Oct. 4), before heading to Las Vegas, Nev., to face UNLV on Saturday (Oct. 6).
