Air Force Academy

March 27, 2003

Players on the Air Force volleyball team are spending their spring break in Puerto Rico, competing against some of the top teams in the island's professional league. Penny Lucas-White reports back mid-trip on what has been a tremendous experience.

"We first met up with Carolina Viernes, the first-place team in the professional league. They have several Americans on the team, including former UCLA All-American Kristee Porter. Kristee is the talk of the island. She is truly a gifted athlete. Elizabeth Fitzgerald, a former All-American from Wisconsin, and Lillianna Denoon from Arkansas are also great players.

We practiced with their team, running competitive drills. Following the practice, we scrimmaged. We won the first set 25-23 and lost the second set 25-17

Delavane Diaz did a tremendous job in defense and attacking from both the front row and the back row. Tiffany Bishop did a great job of blocking their back row attack. Kristin Hamlett did a fantastic job hitting and blocking. Their team was really impressed with Kristin Huitt, who ran our offense. Molly White was a force to be reckoned with, particularly on the right side.

Tonight we play the number two team in the league -- Caguas. This team has won the professional league the past two years. Cheryl Weaver, a former All-American from Long Beach State, is their star player. We will practice with the team, then scrimmage.

Now that we are down here, everyone wants to play us. Owners and coaches have been wonderful to us. We are enjoying the sun. Right now, the players are out on the beach. It is a great learning experience. We are bonding as a team but we are also improving our skills by working with these professional teams."

Fans that speak Spanish can read more about Puerto Rico's professional league at www.fpvoleibol.com.