Air Force Academy
Weber State
Air Force Caps Perfect Weekend with Tournament Title
9/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
During the day's opening match, Air Force downed Houston Baptist in straight sets, defeating the Huskies by a 25-17, 25-16, 25-23 margin. The Falcons had a strong offensive performance, accounting for a .350 hitting percentage (47k-12e-100a). Junior Maggie Sherrill, who paced all players with 15 kills, was one of four Falcons to individually hit above that average. Junior Taylor Parker led the way with a .545 average (6k-0e-11a), while senior Hillary Keltner hit .500 (5k-1e-8a), Sherrill hit .448 (15k-2e-29a) and freshman Shelley Spires connected at a .353 clip (8k-2e-17a).
Sherrill added a team-leading two blocks (one solo, one assisted), while Keltner collected 41 assists. Junior Rebecca Bates recorded a match-best 15 digs and was one of five Falcons to record a service ace. Classmate Rachael Bradley Powers tallied two aces, while Bates, Keltner, junior Raquel Rosas and sophomore Savanna Banyai each recorded one.
"I just can't say enough about the team," head coach Matt McShane said following the first match. "It really goes back to how we practice. Every day, they come in and compete incredibly hard. Houston Baptist is an incredibly good team ...we pushed, but in the middle of every game (HBU) pushed back. They would come roaring back and not let us do some things that we wanted to do. We might fold a little, but at 15 or 16, we would come back out and push to make the plays at the end."
In the nightcap, Air Force used two rallies to down Weber State in four sets. After falling 25-21 in the first set, the Falcons responded with 25-20, 25-21, 25-18 victories to earn its third victory in as many matches. Air Force finished strong, scoring 16 of the final 20 points to earn the fourth set victory.
Clement (15) and Sherill (13) combined for 28 of the team's 52 kills, while Keltner assisted on 46 of those scores and added 10 digs for her 28th career double-double. Bates paced the team with 14 digs and added a pair of aces, while Rosas tied the Falcons' best blocking outdoor of the season with five (two solo, three assisted).
"I'm incredibly proud," McShane commented after the second match. "I think our confidence is growing every time we play. We're becoming a skilled volleyball team and we're not making mistakes that cost us points. We make teams earn every single point and that's a frustrating thing for other teams ... not getting cheap points. You want a ball to drop or you want to see one hit the antenna, but we don't do that. Now, if you're going to beat us, you're going to have to make a big defensive play
After opening the season with two home tournaments, the Falcons leave the friendly confines of Cadet East Gym next weekend (Sept. 12-13) when they travel to St. Louis, Mo., to face Canisius, Omaha and host Saint Louis at the Billiken Invitational.
