Air Force Academy

THE "CSU" SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE

Colorado State, which currently holds an 11-4 record (5-1 MWC), is 26-1 all-time against the Falcons. The Rams, who have three players with over 200 kills, average 17.07 kills-per-game. They are led by Mekana Barnes, a three-time MWC player of the week and one-time national player of the week. Air Force is 1-0 against Chicago State, having defeated the Cougars 3-0 in its first-ever meeting to open the 2007 season. Chicago State, which is 3-19 on the season, has won its past two matches. Jessica Khouri leads the team with 2.14 kills-per-game. Air Force and Chicago State have faced four common opponents this season.

CLIMBING UP THE LADDER

To date, freshman Nichole Stilwell has assisted on 44 blocks, which is just 15 shy of entering the Falcons' NCAA Division I single-season match record book. Tiffany Bishop and Kristin Hamlett are currently tied for 10th, with 59 assisted blocks during their respective 2002 and 2004 seasons.

HOME SWEET HOME?

The Falcons haven't seen a lot of Clune Arena this season. Air Force has played at home just three times since a season-opening tournament on Aug. 24-25, while facing 12 opponents on the road. However, Air Force will be home for five of its next eight matches.

WE'VE GOT SPIRIT, YES WE DO!

The Air Force volleyball staff began a new tradition at TCU on Sept. 21, as they unveiled the new "Spirit Award". The honor is given to the athlete that shows the most team spirit during a match. Julia Hansen and Kelly Spencer shared the honor at San Diego State, while Jasamine Pettie won the award for the match against UNLV. (A complete list of the "Spirit Award" winners can be found on page three of this release).

FIRST STRIKE

Backed by the luck of the coin toss, Air Force has earned the right to the first serve in 15 of 20 matches.

LUCKY SEVENS

Coming in off the bench, freshman Nichole Stilwell collected seven kills and a season-best seven assisted blocks in a three-game loss to No. 23 BYU.

REACHING THE PLATEAU

Five Falcons have already accounted for over 100 kills this season - more than the number of players that accomplished that feat all of last season. Katie Batchelder leads the team with 174 kills, while Caroline Kurtz (130), Michelle Harrington (130), Nichole Stilwell (124) and Kristina Stewart (105) have also entered triple-digit tallies. In addition, Jasamine Pettie is just 14 back.

A HELPING HAND

With 1,274 career assists, senior Kim Kallabis has cemented her spot on the Academy's all-time top-10 list. With 123 helpers during the four-match weekend on Sept. 14-15, Kallabis displaced Michelle Clark, who was on the team during the 1987-88 seasons, and had held 10th place with 1081 assists. Since entering NCAA Division I, only three other Falcons (Kristin Huitt, Tharommony In and Carly Siefken) have made the program's all-time assist list, although Katherine Dehne spent the all but one year at the Division I level (the team moved from Division II prior to the 1996 season.

NOW SERVING...

In Mountain West Conference matches, Stephanie Stanford leads the league with a 0.50 aces-per-game average. In just 14 games, the freshman has tallied seven aces, including a career-best four-ace output at TCU. Senior Rebecca Gerton is also ranked amongst the top five in aces-per-game average, as she has recorded six aces in 15 games for a 0.40 average. Katie Batchelder, who had led the conference for the past several weeks in the aces-per-game category (all matches), was edged out by a mere 0.04 average and now sits in second with 0.38 aces per game. In addition, Stanford is ranked ninth (all matches) with 0.33 aces per game.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Air Force is ranked fourth in the league with 1.63 aces per game (all matches). Senior setter Kim Kallabis is currently ranked eighth in the Mountain West Conference with 6.88 assists per game.

TAKING IT MATCH BY MATCH

Katie Batchelder's 29 kills against Marist is the third-best single-match total in the MWC. In addition, Batchelder leads the conference with seven aces against Quinnipiac and is ranked fourth with a 31.5 point-total against Marist. Air Force's 95 total digs against North Carolina A&T is ranked fourth, while its 15 total aces against Quinnipiac is tied for second and its 14 against Texas Southern is third. In Mountain West Conference matches, Stephanie Stanford leads the league with a four-ace output against TCU, while Nichole Stilwell's seven blocks against BYU is tied for seventh.