Air Force Academy

Sept. 18, 2002

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The Falcons will be hosting their second consecutive tournament on Sept. 20-21. The two-day event will feature teams from San Francisco, Hofstra and Stetson.

TOURNEY SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 20
4:30 p.m. -- Hofstra vs. San Francisco
7 p.m. -- Air Force vs. Stetson


Saturday, Sept. 21
9 a.m. -- Hofstra vs. Stetson
11:30 a.m. -- Air Force vs. San Francisco
4:30 p.m. -- San Francisco vs. Stetson
7 p.m. -- Air Force vs. Hofstra


TEAM RECORDS: Team Record Air Force 3-8 Hofstra 8-2 San Francisco 3-8 Stetson 2-6

AIR FORCE vs. the FIELD:
The Falcons defeated San Francisco 2-0 in 1983 in the teams' only meeting. They were set to play the Dons last year, but the match was canceled after the events of September 11th. Their only meeting against Stetson was last season in Florida, where the Falcons lost 3-1. The Falcons met Hofstra in 1997 at the Air Force Classic, where they lost in five games.

SCOUTING the OPPONENTS:
Hofstra - The Flying Dutchwomen are off to a solid start. They are 8-2 overall with their only losses to Texas Texh and Kansas. They are led by senior outside hitter Stefanie Rewitz, who is averaging 2.87 kils and 2.84 digs per game. Tessa Sphar leads the team in digs with 92 (2.88 p/g), while the setter Brie Katz has 291 assists (9.09 p/g). Hofstra is coached by Fran Kalafer, who is in her 22nd season.

San Francisco - The Dons have lost six of their last seven matches. They are led by junior outside hitter Brittanie Budinger, who is averaging 3.95 kills per game and 3.35 digs per game. Setter April Scoggin runs the offense and has 256 assists (8.0 p/g) on the season. They are coached by David Noble, who is in his third season.

Stetson - The Hatters are 2-6 overall. They defeated Bethune-Cookman and Georgia Southern by identical 3-2 scores. They are led by senior outside hitter Michelle Clonan, who is averaging 2.79 kills per game. Freshman DeeAnn Dempsey has made an immediate impact. She leads the team in digs with 2.75 per game and is one kill off the leader. Stetson is coached by Becky Thysen, who is in her second season.

QUOTING COACH LUCAS-WHITE:
"We need to carry the momentum we gained last weekend into this weekend's tournament. We are improving, but can't overlook any of our opponents. We need to use this weekend's matches to help us prepare for our first conference match next week against New Mexico."