Air Force volleyball team falls in three to New Mexico

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  The Air Force Academy women’s volleyball team dropped a 3-0 match to visiting University of New Mexico on Oct. 8. With both teams looking for their first conference win of the season, it was the Lobos who pulled out the 30-25, 31-29 and 30-23 victory.

With the loss, Air Force moves to 4-11 on the season and 0-5 in the Mountain West Conference.

Air Force opened the scoring in the first match on an UNM error, but its lead was short-lived as four long scoring runs gave New Mexico the advantage. Kristin Hamlett put down the first Air Force kill of the game, while Rebecca Gallegos had two strong serving series. The Falcons tied things at 10 with another UNM error, but the Lobos quickly took control of the game and went on for the 30-25 win.

A Hamlett kill gave Air Force the first point of the second match, but again New Mexico pulled out with the lead. This time, the Falcons stayed close, and a Gallegos kill matched the score at 22-all. The two teams traded points, tying things up 23 and again at 24, until Air Force took its first lead of the game since the opening point. The Lobos tied it at 27, and the Falcons returned to match the score at 28. Holding a 29-28 lead, Air Force was unable to stop New Mexico as they claimed the three final points for the 31-29 victory.

The Lobos took the first point in the third match and never looked back, as more UNM serving series put the Falcons down early. A New Mexico error tied the score at 15, but the Lobos crept back out. Gallegos posted her second service ace of the match to bump up her season total to a team-leading 19 aces. Despite several kills by Gallegos, Hamlett and Molly White, the Falcons fell to the Lobos 30-23.

Air Force hit well in the game, posting a team hitting percentage of .238 -- a mark just off New Mexico’s .245 total. White’s match-leading 15 kills contributed to a team-leading .444 hitting percentage (15 kills on 27 assists, with three errors). Hamlett was just below the .400 plateau (.393) with 13 kills on 28 attacks, with one pair of errors. Carly Siefken killed three of six attacks, while committing a single error (.333) and added 37 assists to her totals. Hamlett also collected a team-best 10 digs for her third double-double of the season.

The Falcons play the University of Nevada-Las Vegas on Oct. 15 and San Diego State on Oct. 16.