Air Force Academy

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Air Force volleyball team closed out the regular season with a three-game loss to Colorado State on Saturday, Nov. 19, in Fort Collins, Colo. After falling 30-18 and 30-13 in the first two matches, the Falcons nearly pulled off an upset in the third set, before being downed by the Rams, 30-26.

Colorado State took the early two point lead, but seniors Kristin Hamlett (Escondido, Calif.) and Rebecca Gallegos (Las Vegas, N.M.) put down a pair of kills to help the Falcons tie the game at three. The Falcons tied the score again at six and an ace by Kim Kallabis (Camino, Calif.) gave the Falcons the lead. Freshman Jasamine Pettie (Baton Rouge, La.) tallied a kill and assisted on a block as the Falcons extended their lead to three. An ace by Brooke Akers (Desert Hot Springs, Calif.) kept the lead at three, but CSU tied the score at 13 and embarked on long scoring run to secure the lead. Despite a pair of kills from Akers, the Falcons claimed just five more points as the Rams took the 30-18 game win.

The second game was decided early on, as Colorado State used an 11-4 run to set the pace. The Falcons had only five kills in the game, as CSU took the 30-13 win.

The Rams earned the first two points, but quickly pulled within one. Gallegos added another kill and Hamlett collected a solo stop as Air Force brought within 15-10. A kill and assisted block from Gallegos helped keep the Falcons within five (19-15). Hamlett and Akers, who teamed up with Gallegos on the earlier assisted block, each added a kill to keep the Falcons within five. Going up against one of the hardest hitters in the league, Kallabis picked up her first solo block as the Falcons crossed the 20-point plateau and added another ace as Air Force continued to score. Akers collected a solo stop and Hamlett picked up another kill, as the Falcons, down 28-20 at one point, rolled off five straight points to cut the score to 28-25. A Gallegos kill kept the Rams at match-point, but Colorado State went on to take the 30-26 win.

Gallegos led the Falcons with eight kills, while Rebecca Gerton (San Leandro, Calif.) tallied a team-best nine digs. Kallabis, who was making her first start of the season, led Air Force with 21 assists, as well as a pair of aces. Akers topped the team with three blocks, including one of the team's three solo stops.

The Falcons open post-season action next week at the Mountain West Conference Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. (Nov. 22-26). Ninth-seeded Air Force opens tournament action with the play-in match on Tuesday, Nov. 22, with eighth-seed TCU at 7 p.m., in UNLV's Cox Pavilion.