Air Force Academy

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- Errors were the undoing of the Air Force volleyball team, who fell in straight sets to Wyoming on Saturday (Oct. 22) at the Academy. In their shortest match of the season, the Falcons fell 30-19, 30-15, 30-16 to the visiting Cowgirls.

Wyoming struck first, but Jasamine Pettie (Baton Rouge, La.) quickly evened things up with the night's first kill. The two programs traded points until the Cowgirls moved ahead behind a 4-0 run. Air Force mounted a comeback, helped in part by two Wyoming errors, and pulled within one off of a kill by Kristin Hamlett (Escondido, Calif.). Wyoming used an 8-0 run to double their score with the Falcons and although the Air Force used 6-0 run to pull within two, the Cowgirls went on to claim the game 30-19.

Air Force found itself in a quick 7-1 hole to start the second set and Wyoming took advantage of the early momentum. The Cowgirls used three serving runs of at least five plays to secure the lead, despite kills from Brooke Akers (Desert Hot Springs, Calif.) and Rebecca Gallegos (Las Vegas, N.M.), who also recorded the team's only ace of the night. Wyoming went on to claim the second set, 30-15.

Wyoming took the first lead in the third, but an Akers kill tied the set at three. Again, the Cowgirls used several long serving runs to take control of the game. Gallegos put down four kills in the set, but Wyoming went on to win 30-16.

Akers led the Falcons with eight kills, while Carly Siefken (Beaverton, Ore.) had the team's best hitting percentage at .375, collecting four kills on eight attempts with just one error. The duo was two of just three Falcons that managed a positive hitting tally. Siefken also led the team in assists (20) and digs (five). In addition to her five kills, Hamlett added four blocks, including one solo stop. Errors were costly to the Falcons, as they committed 30 attacking errors and eight serving miscues.

Following the short three-match respite at home, Air Force heads back out on the road, as it travels to Nevada and California for a pair of conference match-ups. The Falcons will face UNLV on Thursday (Oct. 27), before traveling to San Diego State on Saturday (Oct. 29). Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.