Air Force Academy

Dec. 2, 2003

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - The Air Force volleyball team wrapped up a successful 2003 campaign with its annual banquet on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Head coach Penny Lucas-White handed out several team awards, while also honoring the program's senior class ... Delavane Diaz (Tampa, Fla.), Brittany Edmonds (Grand Junction, Colo.), Kristin Huitt (Fresno, Calif.) and Brandi Raifsnider (Greencastle, Pa.).

Junior Molly White (Lafayette, La.) and sophomore Kristin Hamlett (Escondido, Calif.) earned the Coaches' Award. White was the only Falcon to play in all 101 games this season, finishing second on the team in hitting percentage (.249) and blocks (87). Hamlett, a member of the All-Tournament teams at both the Georgia State and Air Force Tournaments, led the team in hitting percentage (.265) and blocks (87), while registering the second-most kills on the team (292).

Edmonds shared the team's Unsung Hero Award with junior Lamecca Jefferson (Beeville, Texas). This is the second straight season that Edmonds has earned this award, playing in 94 games. Edmonds, who spent some time at the libero position this fall, was third on the team in digs with 143. Jefferson, a 2003 Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, had the third highest kills per game average on the team at 2.63.

Sophomore Carly Siefken (Beaverton, Ore.) was named the team's Most Improved Player. After being called up from the junior varsity squad midway through last season, Siefken made her mark on the program this year. Siefken led the team and Mountain West Conference in aces per game with a 0.45 average. She recorded a streak of at least one service ace in 15 of 16 matches this season, including 13 straight. Her streak of 13 consecutive games with an ace ranks fifth on the conference's all-time list.

Huitt, a team captain for the second consecutive season, earned the team's Best All-Around Award for the second straight season. In her fourth season as the Falcon's starting setter, Huitt set the Academy's all-time record for assists per game average (12.05). She also recorded 11 double-doubles on the season, which led the team and ranked second in the MWC.

For the third consecutive season, Diaz was named the team's Most Valuable Player. A 2004-05 Rhodes Scholar-elect, Diaz shattered numerous records this season, including a new all-time Air Force and Mountain West record of 41 kills in a match against Southern Miss on Sept. 13. Diaz averaged 4.98 kills per game this season, which is the best single-season kills per game average in Mountain West Conference history. She notched the all-time top kills average against league foes in the MWC with a 4.93 kpg. Diaz also set the single-season record at the Academy for service aces in a game, with seven against Denver on Oct. 21.

Raifsnider, who spent the 2003 season serving as an assistant coach on the junior varsity team, presented freshman Barbara Myers with the JV Coaches Award and named classmate Nicole Kinney the junior varsity team's Most Valuable Player.

JV Coaches Award - Barbara Myers
JV MVP - Nicole Kinney
Coaches Award - Molly White and Kristin Hamlett
Unsung Hero - Brittany Edmonds and Lamecca Jefferson
Most Improved - Carly Siefken
Best All-Around - Kristin Huitt
MVP - Delavane Diaz