Air Force Academy

Nov. 19, 2002

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For the third time in three years, the Falcons will play Colorado State in the Mountain West tournament. Air Force heads to the tournament as the eight seed and will have to face conference winner CSU, who is the one seed for the third consecutive season. The Falcons will play on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. in Fort Collins, Colo.

SITE:
Moby Arena Fort Collins, Colo.

RECORDS:
Air Force -- 8-21, 2-12 MWC CSU -- 20-8, 12-2 MWC

AIR FORCE vs. COLORADO STATE:
The Falcons are 1-17 all-time against the Rams. They won the teams' first meeting in 1982, but have lost the last 17. In 1999, the Falcons took CSU to five games before falling. They were swept 3-0 in every other match, including both meetings this year.

MWC TOURNAMENT:
The Falcons (8 seed) will be playing the Colorado State (1 seed) in the opening round of the MWC tournament for the third consecutive season. Last year, CSU defeated Air Force in three games at the tournament (30-13, 30-24, 30-15). At the 2000 tournament, the Rams handed the Falcons their worst loss of the season, winning 15-1, 15-2, 15-0.

SCOUTING THE RAMS:
For the first time in several years, the Rams finish the regular sesaon unranked in the national polls. They lost just two conference matches to win the tournament's top seed. The Rams have a well-balanced offense, with five players with over 200 kills. They have the best hitting percentage in the Mountain West at .294. They also lead the MWC with 15.94 kills per game. Tess Rogers (3.89 kpg) and Michelle Knox (3.35 kpg) drive the offensive attack. Setter Melissa Courtney has 1,233 assists, leading the league with a 13.26 per game average. Lindsey Kerr has 383 digs, leading the conference with 3.99 dpg. Knox has a team high 115 total blocks. Katie Jo Shirley has 113 blocks and leads the league with a .394 hitting percentage.

TOURNAMENT TELEVISION:
For the first time in league history, all matches of the 2002 MWC Volleyball Championship will be televised (check local listings for match coverage). Tickets to the event are available at the CSU ticket office: 800-491-RAMS.