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Air Force Drops Three-Game Set to No. 17 Colorado State
Nov. 12, 2007 FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Air Force volleyball team dropped a three-game Mountain West Conference match to No. 17 Colorado State on Monday, Nov. 12, in Fort Collins, Colo. The Falcons, playing in their only Monday night contest of the season, fell in straight 30-18, 30-14 and 30-14 sets. The Falcons were led by freshman Caroline Kurtz, who posted nine kills - the second-best performance on either side of the net. The Falcons found themselves down early, as the Rams put Air Force in an 11-1 hole. Junior Jasamine Pettie earned the team's first kill, while sophomore Katie Batchelder posted another. Sophomore Michelle Harrington, who assisted on a block, also added a kill, while freshman Nichole Stilwell put down a pair. But it wasn't enough as Air Force fell 30-18 in the opening stanza. Air Force earned the first point of the second game, but Colorado Sate built up a 3-1 advantage. The Falcons tied the game at three, thanks to a kill from freshman Julia Hansen. Air Force tied the set again at four, before Colorado State used a 16-2 run to secure its lead. Only a kill by Pettie and a solo block by Harrington brightened the Falcons' score during that stretch. Air Force added points to the board as Hansen, Stilwell, Kurtz and Pettie collected kills. Harrington and Pettie also teamed up for a block, but the Rams took the second set by a 30-14 score. With a near all-freshmen rotation to start the third, Stilwell and Kurtz helped give the Falcons an early 3-1 lead, but the Rams responded with seven straight points, causing the Falcons to call timeout. The Falcons earned the ensuing point, but CSU extended its lead to 11-4. Harrington recorded another kill, as did Kurtz and junior Kristina Stewart. Later, Kurtz cleared the Falcons past the 10-point mark and Batchelder added another, while Stewart and Stilwell teamed up for another block. With the Rams just three points shy of a victory, the Falcons tallied three straight points, before CSU took the 30-14 win.
Batchelder, Pettie and Stilwell were second behind Kurtz with four kills apiece. Connecting on four of 10 kills, while committing just two errors, Stilwell led the team with a hitting percentage of .200. Freshman Jessica Hellmann compiled a team-best 12 assists, while senior Kim Kallabis added 10. Kallabis and Kurtz also led the team with seven digs apiece,. Harrington led the Falcons with three blocks, including one solo stop. Stilwell's two assisted stops moved her into ninth on the program's Division I single-season record book with 60, Air Force concludes the 2007 regular season on Friday, Nov. 16, when it travels to Laramie, Wyo., to face the Cowgirls in Mountain West Conference action. The match is slated to begin at 8 p.m., and will be televised on the MTN - Mountain West Sports Network. |
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 Caroline Kurtz |
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