Oct. 1, 2002
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The Air Force volleyball team will travel to Utah to take on BYU (Oct. 4, 7 p.m.) and Utah (Oct. 5, 7 p.m.) in two Mountain West Conference matches. The Falcons are looking to rebound from a league-opening loss to New Mexico. They have never beaten either Utah team.
RECORDS:
Air Force -- 6-9, 0-1
BYU -- 6-9, 1-1
Utah -- 11-4, 1-1
SCOUTING AIR FORCE:
After starting the season 0-7, the Falcons have won six of their last eight matches and are 6-1 at home. Delavane Diaz leads the conference in kills per game with 4.32. She is also first in service aces (0.58). Setter Kristin Huitt is averaging 11.76 assists per game, which ranks third in the league. She is third in the MWC with 0.52 aces per game. Tiffany Bishop leads the team with a .327 attacking percentage (fifth best percentage in the conference) and has 37 total blocks.
AIR FORCE vs. BYU:
The Falcons are 0-8 all-time against BYU. They lost 3-0 in both meetings last season. They are 0-24 in games against the Cougars.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS:
BYU is off to one of its slowest starts ever, having won just six of the team's first 15 matches. They are led by Allison Larson, who is averaging 2.69 kills per game, followed by April Varner at 2.62 kills per game. Setter Karina Puikkonen runs the offense. She has 537 assists in 53 games. Uila Crabbe holds the team lead in digs with 170, followed closely by Lindsey Metcalf with 163. The team is second in the conference with 3.40 blocks per game. Carrie Bowers has 83 total blocks, second most in the league.
QUOTING COACH LUCAS-WHITE:
"We have never beaten BYU, but they aren't as strong as they have been in years past. We will need to be at the top of our game, but we have a chance of upsetting the Cougars on their home court."
AIR FORCE vs. UTAH:
The Falcons are 0-8 all-time against Utah. They lost 3-0 in both meetings last season
SCOUTING THE UTES:
Utah is ranked 20th in the nation. They slipped four spots in the polls after losing 2-3 to San Diego State. The team is led by Sylva Strzinkova, who is averaging 4.00 kills per game. Kim Turner is averaging 3.60 kills per game. Kelsie Kartchner is the team's setter. She has 496 assists in 54 games, a 9.19 per game average. Jackie Morrill's 163 digs is a team high. The Utes lead the league in blocking, averaging 3.55 blocks per game. Turner leads the conference with 86 total blocks (1.56 per game).
QUOTING COACH LUCAS-WHITE:
"The Utes are a great team -- they are nationally ranked. They have great athletes. They will be tough to beat on their home court. We need to stay focused and work on our own game and not be intimidated by their ranking."
