Air Force Drops Conference Contest with Wyoming

Sept. 24, 2011

LARAMIE, Wyo. - The Air Force volleyball team dropped a 3-0 conference decision to Wyoming on Saturday, Sept. 24, in Laramie, Wyo. Sophomore Cami Richan posted a team-high 10 kills and .345 hitting percentage, but the Falcons fell in 25-20, 25-23, 25-10 sets to fall to 0-2 in Mountain West action.

Richan paced the Falcons with 10 kills, while committing no errors on 29 attempts for a team-leading .345 hitting percentage. Freshman Hillary Keltner collected 12 assists, while classmates Ayesha Hein and Lizzy Carpenter each tallied a service ace. Sophomore Claire Bieber and freshman Kristen Holt each tallied three blocks (all assisted), while junior Maiya Perich recorded seven digs.

"We played the best we've played all year, in spurts," head coach Matt McShane said. "When we play that way at the end (of sets), we will win a lot of matches. We need to be better under pressure and play at a high level when the match is on the line. We're learning, but we need to learn fast."

Air Force got off to a strong start, scoring the first five points of the match. Freshman Megan Clary put down the Falcons' first offensive point, before Bieber responded with a pair of back-to-back kills. Wyoming cut Air Force's lead to 5-3, but Hein added a kill and assisted on a block with Bieber to push the Falcons' lead back to 7-3. Air Force maintained a four-point lead (9-5) with another kill from Bieber. Richan added a pair of scores, but Wyoming pulled the set within one at 11-10. Bieber, who teamed up with Holt for a block, added a kill to keep the Falcons' advantage at one (14-13). Air Force scored the next two points, highlighted by a service ace from Hein. Wyoming scored the next three points to even the score at 16 and took the lead at the 18-17 mark. Carpenter added a kill, but the Cowgirls used a 6-1 run to collect the 25-20 victory.

Wyoming took a 3-2 lead to start the second set, but Keltner and Richan put down a pair of kills to help the Falcons take a 5-3 advantage. Air Force extended its lead to 8-4 after a kill from Hein and pair of back-to-back scores from Richan. Another kill from Richan and a block from Holt and Carpenter doubled the Falcons' lead at 10-5, while a kill from Holt kept the lead at five (11-6). Several errors by the Cowgirls and a kill from Bieber helped Air Force go up 15-8. Richan added three more kills, as Air Force maintained a 19-11 lead. The Cowgirls cut the Falcons' lead to seven (21-14), before using a 9-0 run to go up 23-21. Bieber added a kill and Carpenter tallied a service ace, but Wyoming completed the comeback with a 25-23 decision.

The Cowgirls struck first in the third set, taking a quick 9-3 lead. Keltner and Richan recorded a pair of strikes, but the Falcons found themselves trailing 17-5. Air Force also received kills from Hein and freshman Victoria Foster, but Wyoming took the final set by a 25-10 mark.

Air Force returns to the Academy on Thursday, Sept. 29, for a Mountain West match against New Mexico at 7 p.m. It is the start of a three-match homestand for the Falcons on their home court at East Gym.

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