Nov. 10, 2008
After a week off from competition, the Air Force volleyball team closes out the home portion of the 2008 schedule this weekend with a pair of Mountain West Conference matches. The Falcons will host New Mexico on Thursday, Nov. 13, and TCU on Saturday, Nov. 15. Both matches are slated to begin at 7 p.m., at the Academy's Clune Arena.
Weekly Notes 11: New Mexico, TCU 
OPPONENT QUICK HITS
New Mexico is 19-6 overall and 9-5 in the Mountain West Conference, while TCU is 19-8 and 8-6 in league play. The Lobos split a weekend MWC series with Colorado State (L, 3-1) and Wyoming (W, 3-2), while the Horned Frogs defeated Wyoming in straight sets and upset No. 13 CSU in four. The Air Force match is New Mexico's only contest of the week, while TCU will travel to Baylor on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
HISTORY 101
Air Force is 3-20 all-time against the Lobos and 2-8 against the Horned Frogs. The Falcons last defeated New Mexico in 2003 and the 3-0 victory over TCU in 2005 marks the last win for Air Force in Mountain West Conference action. Both New Mexico and TCU swept the Falcons in their first meeting this season.
SENIOR SALUTE
Prior to Saturday's match, the Falcons will honor its senior co-captains, Jasamine Pettie and Kristina Stewart, as well as senior manager Tracee Curlett.
STILWELL EARNS ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
Sophomore Nichole Stilwell was named to the ESPN The Magazine University Division Academic All-District VII third-team on Nov. 6. Holding a 3.61 grade-point-average, the mathematics major is the fifth Air Force volleyball player to earn academic all-district honors from CoSIDA.
GET OUT THE RED PEN
In her first year as the Falcons' libero, freshman Victoria Martinez has vaulted into the program's Division I single-season digs list. With 261 digs, Martinez is currently ranked fifth and just two shy of fourth. In the past six matches, Martinez went from 11th to fifth, collecting digs at a 2.38 clip. To date, it is the most single-season digs by an Air Force player since the 2005 season.
RECORD BOOK HAPPENINGS
With four assisted blocks against Wyoming, junior Michelle Harrington moved into 10th on the program's NCAA Division I single-season list. Harrington, who has currently assisted on 60 stops this season, is just five such blocks away from moving into the top-three. In addition, she is just two solo blocks shy of cracking the top-10 in that category.
NOW SERVING...
Sophomore Stephanie Stanford and junior Michelle Harrington currently lead the Falcons with 11 service aces apiece. Sophomore Kelly Spencer is tied for second on the squad with 10. This trio has accounted for 32 of the team's 68 aces. Sophomore Jessica Hellmann and freshman Victoria Martinez are close to the 10-ace plateau, as each has nine.
SET-WIN, TAKE TWO
The Falcons defeated Wyoming 25-20 in the first set of a 3-1 loss on Oct. 30. The five-point victory is the first `set' victory for the Falcons in conference play since taking one from the Cowgirls on Oct. 4 at the Academy. The victory marked the first time since the 2005 season that the Falcons have more than two conference sets in a single season.
HANDY HANSEN
Sophomore Julia Hansen collected the first solo stop of her young collegiate career on Nov. 1 at Colorado State. For her career, she has accounted for one solo block and three assisted stops.
DID YOU KNOW?
Until the coaching staff shuffled the starting rotation prior to the Colorado State match on Nov. 1, sophomore Nichole Stilwell had started all but one match of her collegiate career. Stilwell, who started 30 of 31 matches as a freshman, had started the first 24 matches of this season.
