Errors doom Falcons in volleyball loss to Northern Colorado

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  Errors doomed the Air Force volleyball team in its final non-conference match of the season. Committing more errors than kills, the Air Force dropped straight sets 30-21, 30-15, 30-10 to the visiting Northern Colorado Bears Oct. 24 at the academy. 

Freshman Katie Batchelder led the Falcons with nine kills -- a mark that was just one shy of the match-high 10 set by two UNC players. Junior Rebecca Gerton was second on the team with seven, while freshman Jocelyn Booker put down six. Classmate Hannah Sorber, who made her first career start at the setter position, led the team with a career-best 25 helpers. Sorber also tallied a service ace -- the first of her career and the only ace of the night by Air Force. Batchelder led the team with nine digs, while Booker, Sorber and Michelle Harrington tied for the team lead with two total blocks.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, Batchelder was the only player to register a hitting percentage above .000. As a team, the Air Force struggled with the ball, committing 27 errors on 106 attempts, while recording just 26 kills for a hitting percentage of -.009. Northern Colorado, on the other hand, posted a .380 hitting percentage, by connecting on 45 of 92 attempts and tallying just 10 errors.

Air Force got off to a good start, playing back-and-forth with the Bears, as Batchelder and Gerton lit up the board. With the score tied at eight, UNC rolled off six straight points to take a 14-8 lead. The Bears used another pair of long scoring streaks to extend its lead to 21-13, but sophomore Ellen Bina accounted for four straight serves as Air Force pulled back within five. The teams traded aces and errors from the line to close out the first set by a 30-21 margin.

The Falcons pulled out to an early 5-3 lead in the second set, behind kills from Batchelder and Booker. Following a timeout, Northern Colorado tied the game at five and used three long serving streaks to amass a 20-11 lead. Sorber recorded her first ace at the 22-13 mark, but the Bears went on to win 30-15.

The Air Force earned the first point in the third set, but the Bears quickly raced out to a 9-3 lead. Booker stopped their streak with a pair of kills, but UNC surged ahead with a 12-1 run. Batchelder put down a ball to give the Falcons a double-digit total, but the Bears closed out the match with a 30-10 victory.

Air Force returns to Mountain West Conference action Oct. 28 when it hosts Wyoming at 7 p.m. in Clune Arena.