Air Force Academy

Oct. 19, 2006

With a pair of back-to-back victories under its belt, the Air Force volleyball team continues with its hectic "seven-matches-in-12-days" schedule. The Falcons open the second rotation of Mountain West Conference play with trips to Albuquerque, N.M., and Fort Worth, Texas.  Air Force will visit New Mexico on Friday (Oct. 20), before heading to TCU on Saturday (Oct. 21).

Weekly Release 09: at New Mexico, TCU
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NEW MEXICO LOBOS

2006 Record: 6-14 (2-6 MWC)

Head Coach: Kelley McKee

Series Record: New Mexico leads 15-3

Who to Watch: Jeanne Fairchild (2.95 kpg); Gayle Tripp (4.14 dpg)

Notables: The Lobos have dropped nine of their last 11 matches.

TCU HORNED FROGS

2006 Record: 16-6 (4-4 MWC)

Head Coach: Prentice Lewis

Series Record: TCU leads 4-2

Who to Watch: Anna Vaughn (3.63 kpg); Calli Corley (4.55 dpg)

Notables: TCU last MWC action was a 3-0 sweep of New Mexico.

FINALLY!: Air Force snapped its 14-match winless streak with a pair of victories over Centenary and Alcorn State in a non-conference doubleheader on Oct. 16.  After dropping the first two sets to Centenary, the Falcons responded with three straight wins, en route to the 3-2 match win.  In the nightcap, Air Force swept host Alcorn State with a 3-0 victory. The wins are the first for Air Force since a 3-0 sweep of Norfolk State on Sept. 1. The third game victory against Centenary also snapped a 29-game losing streak for the Falcons.

THE EYE OF THE STORM: Air Force is in the midst of a grueling schedule, playing seven matches in just 12 days.  The Falcons hosted San Diego State (Friday) and UNLV (Saturday) at the Academy, before traveling to Mississippi for a pair of non-conference match-ups. The Falcons, who returned to the Academy in time for class Tuesday morning, departs once again on Thursday for MWC action that will take them to New Mexico and Texas. In fact, Sunday (Oct. 22) will mark the fourth time in seven days that the Falcons have spent time at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to travel.

NOW SERVING...: Over the victorious weekend, Air Force caught its opponents from the line. Against Centenary, the Falcons served up 14 total aces - a mark just two shy of the new Division I single-match record that was set earlier this year.  Freshman Katie Batchelder and sophomore Kristina Stewart chipped in four apiece, while junior Rebecca Gerton put down three.  In the nightcap with Alcorn State, Air Force produced 12 aces - five of which came from Gerton to match her career-best output. Batchelder and Morgan Dolan each tallied a pair against the Braves.

OFFENSE, DEFENSE...TAKE YOUR PICK: Freshman Michelle Harrington had a stellar defensive match against Centenary.  In addition to assisting on four blocks, Harrington added a trio of solo stops.  Against Alcorn State, she showed off her offensive skills, collecting 13 kills, including a match-opening span of six straight connections. Connecting on 13 of 19 attempts, with no errors, Harrington produced a team-leading .684 hitting percentage - the best by any Falcon this season.

BLOCK PARTY: Air Force blocked its way to 17 total stops - one shy of the Division I single-match record (18) set in 1999. Freshman Michelle Harrington assisted on four blocks, while adding a trio of solo stops. In addition, classmates Katie Batchelder and Jocelyn Booker added in six assisted blocks.

DIGGING IT UP: Junior Morgan Dolan made her first libero appearance in the third game against Centenary and led the team with 15 digs. She was joined by Ellen Bina (13), Kristina Stewart (11), Kim Kallabis (10) and Katie Batchelder (10) as Falcons who tallied double-digit dig totals. Dolan, who earned the starting libero job for the ASU match, led the team in that match with 15 digs, while Kallabis tacked on another 11. Batchelder caught 10 to round out the trio of Falcons with at least 10 digs.

IMPRESSIVE: As a team, Air Force hit .100 in every game during the non-conference double-header, including four that went over 350.

STEPPING UP: The Falcons closed out the second game against Alcorn State with six straight serves from sophomore Tracee Curlett, who collected her first collegiate ace during that run. Freshman April Jorgenson subbed in to serve during the third set and earned an her first collegiate ace on her very first play.

SAME OLD RIVALRY: Despite a six-year gap in competition, Air Force and TCU quickly renewed their rivalry last season, facing one another on three occasions. During their lone season together in the Western Athletic Conference, the two programs split a 1-1 record. Last year, the squads also split the regular season, with the Horned Frogs taking the deciding match in the Mountain West Conference tournament play-in match.

JUST BOOK IT: Jocelyn Booker gave the Falcons a spark against Centenary, connecting on 12 straight attempts during the second, third and fourth games.  Easily defeating the opposing middle blockers, Booker managed to put down everything that Kim Kallabis sent her way during that stretch.  In all, Booker accounted for 18 total kills and a team-best .484 hitting percentage. It is the sixth time in the Falcons' last 12 matches that Booker has recorded the team's best hitting percentage.

KEEP THEM COMING: Air Force held off Centenary in the fourth game for a 38-36 victory.  Those 38 points are the most ever for the Falcons and that is the second longest game since a 39-37 loss against UNLV in 2002.

THREE AND OUT: In 2005, Air Force and its opponents played in an Academy-record 16 matches that went past three games. This season, those numbers dropped significantly, as the Falcons have only participated in just three matches that have advanced past regulation. In fact, the 15-10 victory over Centenary was the first five-game match of the season for Air Force.

BY THE NUMBERS: 17 of the Falcons' current 19 players have seen game action. 10 of those have registered at least five kills, 11 have accounted for at least one assist, 13 have tallied at least one ace, 16 have registered at least one dig and 11 have accounted for at least one block.