Air Force Academy

Sept. 18, 2007

The Air Force volleyball team dives into Mountain West Conference action this weekend with a pair of road matches. The Falcons, who are 7-7 overall and 0-1 in the league, will travel to Albuquerque to face New Mexico on Thursday, Sept. 20, before jetting to Forth Worth, Texas, the very next night (Sept. 21) to take on TCU. Live stats will be available for both matches and can be accessed via GoAirForceFalcons.com.

Weekly Release 05: at New Mexico; at TCU
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THE OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE
Air Force is 3-17 against New Mexico and 2-5 against TCU in the all-time series. The Falcons last victory at New Mexico came in 2003, while Air Force has never won in Fort Worth during three appearances.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CONNECTIONS
Freshman Caroline Kurtz hails from Albuquerque, while New Mexico's Lisa Meeter is from Colorado Springs. In addition, freshman Rachel Lovato grew up in New Mexico, while two other Lobos call Colorado home. TCU doesn't have any Coloradoans on its roster, but the Academy boasts three from the Lone Star State, including Stephanie Stanford and Shelby Stinebaugh, who grew up less than an hour from Fort Worth.

MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT AT UNM
It will be Military Appreciation Night on Thursday, Sept. 20, when the Falcons travel to New Mexico. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., at Johnson Gym on the campus of UNM. Tickets will be just $1 for people with a Military ID and can be purchased at the door.

ALL-TEAM ALL-TOURNAMENT
The Air Force volleyball coaches decided that the entire team would be their selection to the all-tournament squad at the Prairie View Lady Panther Invitational. Taking a 2-2 record on the weekend, Air Force closed out the tournament in high style, erasing a 12-point deficit to take a 31-29 game victory and complete the sweep of Texas Southern.

I'M BACK...
After missing the first match of her career on Sept. 14, sophomore Katie Batchelder came back with a vengeance. During the Falcons' two victories on Sept. 15, Batchelder averaged 5.57 kills per game (39 total), 5.00 digs per game (35 total) and six service aces.

RANDOM FACT
Air Force played in as many extra-game matches at the Lady Panther Invitational as it did all of last season. The Falcons only played in two four-game matches and one five-game match during 2006, but went four with UT-San Antonio and Prairie View, while grinding out a five-set thriller with Texas Pan-American.

WHAT A COMEBACK!
Coming back from 12 points down in the third game, Air Force completed a three-game sweep of Texas Southern in the final match of the Lady Panther Invitational on Sept. 15. The Falcons easily defeated the Tigers by 30-16 and 30-17 scores in the first two games and then rebounded from a 16-4 deficit and held off TSU to take the 31-29 win in the final game.

A HELPING HAND
With 1198 career assists, senior Kim Kallabis moved into the Academy's all-time top-10 list. With 128 helpers over the five-match week, Kallabis displaced Michelle Clark, who was on the team during the 1987-88 seasons, and had held 10th place with 1081 assists.