Oct. 6, 1999
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV volleyball team will travel to No. 10 Brigham Young and Utah this week for its first-ever Mountain West Conference road trip. The Rebels will face No. 10 BYU in Provo, Utah, at Smith Fieldhouse (5,000) on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m. On the next night, Saturday, Oct. 9, UNLV will face Utah at 7:00 p.m., at Crimson Court (1,500) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Fri., Oct. 8 UNLV at No. 10 Brigham Young 7:00 p.m.Match at Smith Fieldhouse, Provo, Utah (5,000 capacity)Sat., Oct. 9 UNLV at Utah 7:00 p.m.Match at Crimson Court, Salt Lake City, Utah (1,500 capacity)
THE OPPONENTS
No. 10 Brigham Young (10-2, 2-0 MWC) has won 10 of its past 11 matches and has lost only to Michigan and Stanford...The Cougars are 2-0 in conference play with wins over Air Force and New Mexico...BYU is coached by Elaine Michaelis who is in her 39th year with a career record of 823-206-5...The Cougars are led in kills by Nina Puikkonen with 4.19 per game, digs by Caroline Bower with 2.98 pg and assists by Anna-Lena Smith with 13.83 pg.
Utah (11-4, 2-0 MWC) is on a three-match winning streak...The Utes are 2-0 in conference play with wins over New Mexico and Air Force...Utah is coached by Beth Launiere who is in her 10th year with a career record of 169-132...The Utes are led in kills by McKelle Stilson with 3.85 per game, digs by Alisa Geddes with 3.26 pg and assists by Graciela Torres-Lopez with 13.04 pg.
THE REBELS
UNLV (8-4, 0-1 MWC) started off the year with a best-ever record of 7-0, but have dropped four of its last five matches...UNLV lost its only MWC match to San Diego State in five games on Saturday...UNLV returns eight players and five starters from last year's squad that finished the season with an overall record of 23-8...The Rebels finished tied for second in the Western Athletic Conference's Mountain Division with a mark of 11-3 and lost in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament to then-No. 6 BYU...Head Coach Deitre Collins is in her fourth season and has a career record of 45-52. The Rebels are led in kills by Angie Sylvas with 3.80 per game, digs by Justine Kamelamela with 2.86 pg and assists by Julia Goes with 11.03 pg.
NEW FACES
The Rebels welcome the addition of six newcomers in Shannon Chase, a 5-9 freshman outside hitter/defensive specialist from Las Vegas, Nev., who transferred to UNLV from Colorado State (but didn't play intercollegiate volleyball there), Alicia Erickson, a 6-4 sophomore middle blocker from Las Vegas, Nev., who transferred from Washington State, Oge Fitz, a 5-10 sophomore outside hitter from San Jose, Calif., who transferred from Cal State Fullerton, Maria Julia Goes, a 5-9 sophomore setter from Sorocaba, Brazil, who transferred from National American University, Leiana Oswald, a 6-0 freshman middle blocker from Burnaby, B.C., and Robyn Shea a 5-10 junior setter from Salt Lake City, Utah, who transferred from Weber State.
NOV. 6 MATCH MOVED
Please note: UNLV's match scheduled for Nov. 6 vs. BYU has been moved from the Lied Gymnasium to the Thomas & Mack Center...Match start time will remain at 7:00 p.m.
PROBABLE REBEL STARTERSNo. Player Pos. Ht. Yr.-Exp. Hometown/Last School 1999 UNLV Statistics9 Alicia Erickson MB 6-4 So.-TR Las Vegas, Nev./Washington St. 1.86 kpg, 1.43 bpg14 Christel Eves MB 5-10 Sr.-3V Henderson, Nev./Basic HS 1.74 kpg, 1.07 bpg7 Danielle GerlachOH 6-0 Sr.-3V Edwards, Calif./Desert HS 2.04 kpg, 1.52 dpg13 Amber Graham MB 5-11 So.-1V Las Vegas, Nev./Cimmaron HS 2.45 kpg, 1.02 bpg2 Julia Goes S 5-9 So.-TR Sorocaba, Brazil/N. Amer. Univ. 11.03 apg, 1.72 dpg15 Angie Sylvas OH 5-11 Sr.-1V Las Vegas, Nev./San Jose State 3.80 kpg, 2.47 dpg
REBEL RETURNERS
The Rebels return eight players from last year's squad. Included in those eight are five seniors. The Rebels return two all-conference players in second team All-WAC selections Angie Sylvas and Justine Kamelamela. Sylvas, a 5-11 senior outside hitter, was also selected to the All-WAC Tournament Team last season. She led the team in kills per game and digs per game last season. Kamelamela, a 6-0 junior outside hitter, was second on the team in kills per game and third in digs per game. Also returning are Christel Eves, a 5-10 senior middle blocker, Danielle Gerlach, a 6-0 senior outside hitter, Amber Graham, a 5-11 sophomore middle blocker, Jeanette Graves, a 6-1 senior outside hitter, Ana Ramos, a 5-4 junior defensive specialist, and Kendra Wilkinson, a 5-4 senior defensive specialist.
LAST WEEK
Last week, UNLV split a pair of five-gamers. UNLV came from behind to defeat Nevada, Reno in Reno 11-15, 11-15, 15-8, 17-15, 15-13 on Tuesday and in its first-ever MWC match UNLV lost to San Diego State in Las Vegas 15-9, 10-15, 11-15, 15-6, 12-15.
NEXT WEEK
UNLV will be back at home next weekend for more MWC action. The Rebels will host Wyoming on Friday, Oct. 15, and will battle No. 15 Colorado State on Saturday, Oct. 16. Both matches are at 7:00 p.m. at the Lied Gymnasium.
SERIES HISTORY
BYU leads the all-time series history with UNLV 4-0...BYU won the last meeting 3-0 in the WAC Tournament semifinal on Nov. 27, 1998...Utah leads the all-time series history with UNLV 4-1...UNLV won the last meeting 3-0 in the WAC Tournament quarterfinal on Nov. 25, 1998.
UNLV CHOSEN TO FINISH FOURTH IN MWC BY COACHES
The 1999 Mountain West Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll predicted UNLV will finish fourth out of eight teams in the conference following the 1999 campaign. The following is the order that the MWC coaches predicted the conference will end up this season: Brigham Young, Colorado State, Utah, UNLV, Wyoming, New Mexico, San Diego State and Air Force.
UNLV RECEIVES VOTES IN PRESEASON POLL FOR FIRST TIME
For the first time in program history, the UNLV volleyball team opened a season after being mentioned in the USA Today/AVCA preseason national poll. UNLV received votes three separate weeks in 1998, but has never received prior mention in a preseason national poll. This year, the Rebels received one vote in the preseason poll. Topping the preseason poll was Penn State, followed closely by Stanford, Nebraska, Hawai'i and 1998 NCAA champion Long Beach State.
REBEL REWARDS
UNLV won the title of the Official All-Star Cafe/UNLV Volleyball Classic with a 3-0 mark. Senior Angie Sylvas was named MVP of the tournament, while senior Christel Eves and junior Robyn Shea were both named to the all-tournament team....UNLV was declared runner-up at the Maryland Tournament based on total games, even though both UNLV and Colorado State went 3-0 at the event. Junior Justine Kamelamela and sophomore Amber Graham were named to the all-tournament team...The Rebels took second place at the UNLV Invitational falling in the championship match to No. 19 USC in three games...Senior Jeanette Graves and sophomore Amber Graham were selected to the all-tournament team.
REBELS STARTED SEASON WITH BEST-EVER MARK
UNLV started the season with seven straight wins before dropping their first match of the year to No. 19 USC. The 7-0 record was UNLV's best start in program history. UNLV's previous best start was in 1979 and 1998, when the team started 5-0 both seasons.
EVES TIES REBEL MARK AT MARYLAND
Senior Christel Eves recorded 8 service aces against Maryland, which tied the Rebel record for most service aces in a match. In 1984, Debbie Brooks had 8 vs. UC San Diego.
REBEL DOUBLE-DOUBLES
So far this season, five Rebels have recorded a double-double in a match. Justine Kamelamela has four (16 kills, 13 digs vs. Louisville, 12 kills, 10 digs vs. Rutgers, 16 kills, 16 digs at Maryland, 11 kills, 19 digs vs. SDSU), Angie Sylvas has four (21 kills, 17 digs vs. Louisville, 15 kills, 11 digs at Maryland, 18 kills, 12 digs vs. USC, 23 kills, 14 digs at UNR), Julia Goes has three (42 assists, 10 digs vs. Rutgers, 78 assists, 10 digs vs. UNR, 48 assists, 10 digs vs. SDSU), Jeanette Graves has one (12 kills, 11 digs vs. USC) and Christel Eves has one (10 kills, 15 digs vs. UNR).
REBEL 20-KILL CLUB
UNLV has had only one player break the 20 kill or dig barrier in a match this season...Angie Sylvas has done it twice with 23 kills at UNR and 21 kills vs. Louisville.
COLLINS BECOMES REBEL VB'S ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH
With UNLV's win over Southern Illinois, head coach Deitre Collins became the program's all-time winningest coach. The win over SIU was her 40th with the program and it surpassed Karen Lamb, who compiled 39 wins from 1987-85. Collins currently has 45.
UNLV DOMINATES AT HOME
UNLV has now won 17 of its last 20 home matches at Lied Gymnasium. The Rebels won 15 straight at home dating back to the 1998 season before losing to USC. The Rebels were 13-1 at home during the 1998 season.
REBELS RANK IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Here is how the Rebels rank in the conference stats...3rd in both hitting percentage (.225) and service aces (1.95)...5th in assists (13.27), blocks (2.35) and kills (14.77)...6th in digs (13.05) and tied for 6th in conference won-loss percentage... Individually, UNLV has a player ranked in the MWC in each statistical category...Christel Eves leads the conference in service aces (0.47), while Justine Kamelamela is 10th (0.37)...Kamelamela is 5th in digs (2.86)...Julia Goes is 6th in assists (11.03)...Angie Sylvas is 7th in kills (3.80)...Amber Graham is 8th in hitting percentage (.308)...Eves is tied for 9th in blocks (1.07).
CAREER HIGHS SET THIS YEAR
Justine Kamelamela had a career-high 19 digs vs. SDSU...Christel Eves tied her career high of 15 digs vs. Louisville and at UNR...Eves tied both her career high of 9 block assists and 9 total blocks vs. New Orleans...Eves also recorded a career-high 8 service aces at Maryland as she tied the Rebel record for most service aces in a match...Amber Graham recorded a career-high7 digs vs. Louisville...Graham also tied her career high of 7 total blocks vs. Louisville and set a new career high of 3 block solos...Graham tied her career-high of 19 kills at UNR as well as tied her career-high in block assists and total blocks with 7 at UNR...Angie Sylvas recorded a career-high 6 service aces vs. Maryland...Jeanette Graves turned in a career high 4 assists vs. USC...Danielle Gerlach had a career-high 16 kills and 45 attempts at UNR...Kendra Wilkinson had a career-high 14 digs vs. SDSU along with a career-high-tying 3 service aces...Alicia Erickson had 11 kills at UNR and 10 block assists vs. SDSU...Julia Goes had 78 assists at UNR, which was two shy of the Rebel single-match assist record...Goes has recorded 10 kills three times.
OTHER REBEL NOTES
UNLV had 17 service aces in its match at Maryland...That figure is only two off the UNLV record of 19 set at California in 1984...UNLV's next highest service ace total in a match this season is 9...Kendra Wilkinson recorded her first career kill at UNR...Wilkinson is a senior...The Rebels had five player record double figures in kills at UNR...UNLV had a season-high hitting percentage vs. New Orleans of .391...The Rebels have also recorded the following season-high totals for a match: 86 kills at UNR, 203 attacks at UNR, 81 assists at UNR, 82 digs vs. Louisville, 16.5 total blocks at UNR...Jeanette Graves and Amber Graham both hit .643 against New Orleans (10 kills, 1 error, 14 attacks).
HEAD COACH DEITRE COLLINS
Head coach Deitre Collins is now in her fourth year at UNLV. Collins, who is a former member of the U.S. National Team and a three-time NCAA All-American middle blocker at Hawai'i, led UNLV to a 23-8 record in 1998. The team advanced to the semifinals of the WAC Tournament and recorded its best-ever win percentage for a season. For her efforts, Collins was honored with the 1998 WAC Mountain Division Co-Coach of the Year award. Before being named head coach of the 15th intercollegiate athletics program at UNLV on July 10, 1995, she served as an assistant at the University of South Alabama for one season (1994). Prior to that, she was an assistant at Houston (1993) and Northern Arizona (1993-94). Collins, who is the fourth coach in the history of Rebel volleyball, graduated from Hawai'i in 1995 with a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast communications. She was the first-ever volleyball player to be named the Broderick Cup recipient, earning the award as the best female collegiate athlete in 1983. Last season, Long Beach State's Misty May became the second. Collins also is a two-time Broderick Award honoree, being named the best collegiate volleyball player for the seasons of 1982 and 1983. Those same years, she led the Rainbow Wahine to consecutive NCAA championships as well as a record of 110-5 in her final three seasons. She is UNLV volleyball's all-time winningest coach by wins and her career head coaching record is 45-52.
ASSISTANT COACH KEVIN HAMBLY
Kevin Hambly (BYU, '98) is in his third year as assistant coach at UNLV. He is a former Brigham Young standout volleyball player, playing for the Cougars from 1992-95. The starting middle blocker from 1993-95, Hambly was a first-team All-American in 1995. He was the head coach of Highline, a men's club team in Northridge, Calif., prior to joining the Rebel coaching staff.
ASSISTANT COACH CARRIE PENFIELD
Carrie Penfield (Arizona '98) is in her first season as assistant coach at UNLV. Penfield came to UNLV from the U.S. National Team where she played from January to April, 1998. At Arizona, she was All-Pac-10 her senior season.
DIR. OF VOLLEYBALL KEE WILLIAMS
Kee Williams (Hawai'i '95) is in her second year with UNLV. Williams came to UNLV from the U.S. National Team where she was training before suffering a career-ending injury. A star at Hawai'i from 1990-94, she was a first-team All-American selection and a three-time All-Big West Conference honoree.
LAST YEAR
In only its third season back on campus after an 11-year hiatus, the 1998 UNLV volleyball team finished the season 23-8 and recorded its best winning percentage for a season in program history. The team finished second in the WAC's Mountain Division with an 11-3 mark. The team, which qualified for its second WAC Tournament, recorded its first-ever postseason win over Utah and advanced to the semifinals falling to No. 6 Brigham Young. Head Coach Deitre Collins was named the WAC's Mountain Division Co-Coach of the Year. The team eclipsed its win total of the year before of nine in only its 13th match of the season and set the record for most consecutive wins with 10 at one point during the year. UNLV was dominant at home, going 13-1 at the Lied Gymnasium.
LAST YEAR'S INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES
UNLV had three players named to the All-WAC team in 1998. Meri-de Boyer, who has graduated, was UNLV's first-ever first team All-WAC member, while Angie Sylvas and Justine Kamelamela were both selected to the second team. Sylvas was also named to the All-WAC Tournament Team, which made her the first Rebel ever to be named to that team. Christel Eves, Boyer and Kamelamela were all named WAC Player of the Week at one point during the season. Kamelamela was named to the all-tournament team of the Carolina Classic, the Official All-Star Cafe/UNLV Volleyball Classic and the Nanook Classic. Eves was on the all-tournament team at the Carolina Classic. Sylvas was named MVP of the Nanook Classic, while Boyer was named all-tournament at the Nanook Classic.
1999 UNLV VolleyballSchedule/ResultsRecord: 8-4 Home: 4-2MWC: 0-1 Away: 2-2Vs. Top 25 0-2 Neutral:2-0
Date Opponent W/L Time9/3 UMKC! W, 3-09/3 IOWA STATE! W, 3-09/4 S ILLINOIS! W, 3-09/10 Louisville@ W, 3-29/11 Rutgers@ W, 3-0 at Maryland@ W, 3-19/17 NEW ORLEANS# W, 3-09/18 No. 19 USC# L, 1-39/23 at No. 12 Pepp. L, 0-39/25 at Santa Clara L, 0-39/28 at Nevada, Reno W, 3-210/2 SAN DIEGO ST* L, 2-310/8 at No. 10 BYU* 7:00 PM10/9 at Utah* 7:00 PM10/15 WYOMING* 7:00 PM10/16 COLORADO STATE* 7:00 PM10/22 at New Mexco* 7:00 PM10/23 at Air Force* 7:00 PM10/29 at S.Diego St.* 7:00 PM11/4 UTAH* 7:00 PM11/6 BYU* (TMC) 7:00 PM11/11 at Colo. State* 7:00 PM11/13 at Wyoming* 7:00 PM11/19 AIR FORCE* 7:00 PM11/20 NEW MEXICO* 7:00 PM11/24-27MWC Tournament% All Day
Home matches in BOLD CAPS at Lied GymnasiumAll times local to site! Official All-Star Cafe/UNLV Volleyball Classic@ Maryland Tournament, College Park, Md.# UNLV Invitational* Mountain West Conference match(TMC) At the Thomas & Mack Center, UNLV Campus% at Provo, Utah
FAX-ON-DEMANDUNLV's release is available on Info Connection and may be obtained by calling (800) 300-2050 from a fax machine. Media members without a PIN should call (770) 399-0096 to obtain one. The MWC's passcode is 692#.1930 Release1932 Stats/Results1933 Recent Box Score1958 Schedule/Roster
1999 PRESEASON COACHES' POLL School National Rank1. Brigham Young No. 72. Colorado State No. 243. Utah Received Votes4. UNLV Received Votes5. Wyoming6. New Mexico7. San Diego State8. Air Force
UNLV TICKET PRICESAdmission for UNLV volleyball matches is $4.00 for adults, $2.00 for students, faculty, staff and Senior Rebel Club members. UNLV students and Junior Rebel Club members will be admitted free of charge. Groups of up to 20 people are $15 and groups over 20 people are $1 per person. Season tickets may be purchased for $35 and a year-long Olympic Sports Pass for $75. For more ticket information, please call (702) 895-UNLV.
STANDINGSAs of Tues., Oct. 5... MWC Matches All Matches W L Pct. W L Pct.BYU 2 0 1.000 9 2 .818Utah 2 0 1.000 11 4 .733Colorado St. 1 0 1.000 14 0 1.000San Diego St. 1 0 1.000 7 7 .500UNLV 0 1 .000 8 4 .667Wyoming 0 1 .000 6 8 .429Air Force 0 2 .000 11 4 .733New Mexico 0 2 .000 5 13 .278
UNLV'S RECORDWHEN IT:wins the first game.. 7-2wins the second game.. 5-0wins the third game.. 8-0wins the fourth game.. 2-1plays a three-game match.. 5-2plays a four-game match.. 1-1plays a five-game match.. 2-1has more kills than opp.. 8-2has fewer kills than opp.. 0-2has equal kills as opp.. 0-0has higher hitting % than opp.. 7-1has lower hitting % than opp.. 1-3has equal hitting % as opp.. 0-0has more team blocks than opp.. 5-2has fewer team blocks than opp.. 2-1has equal team blocks as opp.. 1-1has more digs than opp.. 6-1has fewer digs than opp.. 1-3has equal digs as opp.. 1-0has more assists than opp.. 8-2has fewer assists than opp.. 0-2has equal assists as opponent.. 0-0has more service aces than opp.. 7-1has fewer service aces than opp.. 1-3has equal service aces as opp.. 0-0
