Nov. 25, 2011

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The Air Force volleyball team closed out the 2011 season with a 3-0 loss to Cal State Northridge on Friday, Nov. 25, in Northridge, Calif. Freshman Ayesha Hein paced the Falcons with nine kills during a 25-19, 25-16, 27-25 loss to the Matadors.

Cal State Northridge struck first, but kills by sophomore Cami Richan and freshman Kristen Holt helped the Falcons keep the score within one (2-3). The Matadors scored the next five points to go up 8-2, but Air Force quickly pulled within two behind three CSUN errors and a solo block by Holt. Air Force six of the next nine points, including kills from Richan and Hein and service aces from freshman Emma Dridge and sophomore Josalynn Wise. The ace by Wise evened the score at 13, while classmate Claire Bieber kept the Falcons within one behind a pair of kills (15-14, 16-15). A kill from Hein tied the set at 18, but CSUN used a 7-1 run to take the first set by a 25-19 margin.

Hein put down the first kill of the second set, but the Matadors scored seven of the next eight points, with a kill from freshman Lizzy Carpenter breaking up the run (7-2). CSUN extended its advantage to 13-5, before Bieber and freshman Victoria Foster collected kills and freshman Hillary Keltner recorded a service ace to help the Falcons cut the Matadors' lead to four (14-10). Foster, Hein and Richan added kills, while Wise recorded her second service ace, but Cal State Northridge took the second game, 25-16.

For the second straight set, Hein put down the first kill. Richan added a solo block, but CSUN doubled up the Falcons at the 6-3 mark. Trailing 9-5, Air Force scored the next five points to take a 10-9 lead. During the run, Hein tallied a pair of kills and teamed up with Carpenter for a block, while freshman Brooke Pottle recorded a service ace. Richan added three kills to help the Falcons extend their lead to 16-12. The Matadors evened the set at 17, but Hein and Holt helped boost the Falcons' advantage back to three (21-18). Holt accounted for kills a the 23-20 and 25-24 marks, but Cal State Northridge scored 10 of the final 12 points to take the come-from-behind win 27-25.

Hein led the Falcons with nine kills, while Richan added eight. Keltner (15) and Wise (11) accounted for 26 of Air Force's 27 assists, while accounting for three total aces. Wise's two aces marked the team's first multi-ace match since Nov. 10. Junior Maiya Perich recorded nine digs to become the first Air Force Division I player to record 400 digs in a single season, while Holt paced the squad with four blocks (one solo, three assisted).

"We're all disappointed by the number of wins," head coach Matt McShane said. "But, the entire team knows that we are playing the best we've played all season. "This team has worked extremely hard for the last four months and I am very proud of them. I am very encouraged for the future."

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