Air Force Academy
New Mexico
Kurtz Paces Falcons in Loss to New Mexico
9/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 30, 2010
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Playing in her hometown of Albuquerque, N.M., for the final time, senior Caroline Kurtz posted a team-high 12 kills, as the Air Force volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to New Mexico in Mountain West Conference action on Thursday, Sept. 30. Despite the 12 kill-12 dig output by Kurtz, the Falcons fell in straight 25-22, 25-13, 25-13 sets.
With 12 kills, Kurtz tallied nearly half of the Falcons' 30 strikes. Connecting on 12 of 36 attempts, while committing just four errors, she also paced the squad with a .222 hitting percentage. Kurtz also recorded her sixth double-double of the season - and 18th of her career - with 12 digs and recorded Air Force's lone service ace.
Classmate Jessica Hellmann recorded 14 assists, while freshman Josalynn Wise added 11. Senior Kelly Spencer posted a team-leading 14 digs, while sophomore Preslee Maki accounted for a pair of assisted blocks.
New Mexico took the early lead to start the match, but a kill by Kurtz helped bring the Falcons within one at 4-3. Seniors Julia Hansen and Nichole Stilwell helped keep the Falcons close at the 6-5 mark, but the Lobos extended their lead to three at the 10-7 mark. Trailing 12-8, Air Force scored five of the next six points to tie the score at 13. Hansen and Maki contributed to three of those points during that run, teaming up for a block and posting back-to-back kills. Hansen and Stilwell added kills, but New Mexico took a five-point lead at 20-15. The Falcons again used a 5-1 run to pull within a point at 21-20. Freshman Annalyse Schmitt collected a pair of kills, while Kurtz and Stilwell each added one. New Mexico used one final run to claim the 25-22 victory.
The Lobos scored first in the second set, but kills from Kurtz and freshman Cami Richan evened the set at two. The Lobos took a 9-4 advantage, before Maki and Stilwell teamed up for a block. Schmitt and Kurtz combined for three kills, but New Mexico went up by eight at the 18-10 mark. Kurtz and Stilwell collected a pair of kills, but UNM took the second set by a 25-13 score.
Schmitt and Richan tallied kills at the start of the third set, but New Mexico rolled off five straight points to take a 7-2 lead. Hansen, Stilwell and senior Emily Frick collected kills, but the Falcons still trailed 13-6. Kurtz scored the Falcons next four points, collecting three kills and a service ace. Although the ace gave the Falcons 10 points, the team still trailed the Lobos by eight. Air Force's deficit grew to 12 (22-10), before Hansen collected a kill. She added one final kill, but New Mexico claimed the final set by another 25-13 mark.
Air Force continues conference action on Saturday, Oct. 2, when it heads to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU. The match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., (CST) at the University Rec Center.
