September 15, 1998
Fri., Sept. 18 UNLV Rebels vs. Idaho Vandals 12:00 p.m. EDT UNLV Rebels vs. North Carolina Tar Heels 7:30 p.m. EDTSat., Sept. 19 UNLV Rebels vs. Cincinnati Bearcats 12:00 p.m. EDT UNLV Rebels vs. George Mason Patriots 5:00 p.m. EDT Matches at Carmichael Auditorium (10,000), Chapel Hill, N.C.
The UNLV volleyball team is back on the road this week as it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., to compete in the Carolina Classic. The classic will take place over two days with the Rebels participating in two matches each day. On Friday, Sept. 18, UNLV will face Idaho at 12:00 p.m., and then battle host North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 19, the Rebels will play Cincinnati at 12:00 p.m., and wrap up play with George Mason at 5:00 p.m. All times are Eastern Daylight Time. All matches will be played at North Carolina's Carmichael Auditorium (10,000).
THE OPPONENTS
Idaho (4-2) defeated Portland State 3-0, Western Michigan 3-0 and Massachusetts 3-1 and lost to #25 Arizona 3-2 last week...The Vandals are led by senior Jessica Moore who is averaging 3.77 kills per game...Head Coach Carl Ferreira is in his second year at Idaho with a record of 20-16, while his career record is 120-29 in his fifth season.
North Carolina (6-3) lost to Texas A&M 3-0 and Michigan 3-0, while it defeated Louisiana State 3-1 and Bowling Green 3-0 last week...The Tar Heels are led by sophomore Casey Simpson who is averaging 4.28 kills per game...Head Coach Joe Sagula is in his ninth year at UNC with a record of 138-130...His career record is 341-253 in his 18th season.
Cincinnati (4-3) defeated Loyola (Md.) 3-0 and New Orleans 3-1, while losing to San Diego 3-0 last week...The Bearcats are led by senior Becky Tenkman who is averaging 3.48 kills per game...Head Coach Laura Alford is in her second year at UC with a career record of 25-16.
George Mason (0-7) lost to Houston 3-1, Lamar 3-0 and Stephen F. Austin 3-1 last week...The Patriots are led by freshman Natalia Torres-Tirado who is averaging 3.78 kills per game...Head Coach Pat Kendrick is in her 14th year with GMU and has a career record of 262-188.
THE REBELS
UNLV (5-1) finished second last week at the Official All-Star Cafe/UNLV Volleyball Classic in Las Vegas by defeating Youngstown State 3-0, New Mexico State 3-1 and losing in the championship match to Southwest Texas State 3-1...UNLV is led by sophomore Justine Kamelamela who is leading the WAC with 5.11 kills per game...Junior Angie Sylvas is second in the WAC in kills per game with 4.70 and leads the team in digs with 3.45 per game...Kamelamela is also averaging over three digs per game with 3.21...The Rebels return nine players and four starters from last year's squad that finished the season with an overall record of 9-18. The Rebels finished seventh in the Western Athletic Conference's Mountain Division with a mark of 2-12. Head Coach Deitre Collins is in her third season and has a career record of 19-41.
1998 UNLV VolleyballSchedule/Results Record: 5-1 Home: 2-1 WAC: 0-0 Away: 1-0Vs. Top 25 0-0 Neutral: 2-0
Date Opponent W/L Time9/3 Iowa State! W, 3-09/4 at Alaska Fairbanks! W, 3-09/5 Duke! W, 3-29/11 YOUNGSTOWN STATE@ W, 3-0 NEW MEXICO STATE@ W, 3-19/12 SW TEXAS STATE@ L, 1-39/18 Idaho# 12:00 PM at North Carolina# 7:30 PM9/19 Cincinnati# 12:00 PM George Mason# 5:00 PM9/21 UTAH STATE 7:00 PM9/26 SAN DIEGO STATE 7:00 PM9/28 NEVADA, RENO 7:00 PM10/1 FRESNO STATE 7:00 PM10/3 AIR FORCE* 4:00 PM10/8 at Rice* 7:00 PM10/10 at Tulsa* 7:00 PM10/15 SMU* 7:00 PM10/17 TCU* 7:00 PM10/23 at Wyoming* 7:00 PM10/24 at Colorado State* 4:00 PM10/28 at UC Irvine 7:00 PM10/30 at Air Force* 7:00 PM11/6 TULSA* 7:00 PM11/7 RICE* 7:00 PM11/13 at TCU* 7:00 PM11/14 at SMU* 7:00 PM11/19 COLORADO STATE* 7:00 PM11/21 WYOMING* 7:00 PM11/24-28 WAC Tournament% All Day
Home matches in BOLD CAPS at Lied GymnasiumAll times local to site! Nanook Classic, Fairbanks, Alaska@ Official All-Star Cafe/UNLV Volleyball Classic# Carolina Classic, Chapel Hill, N.C.* Western Athletic Conference match% Held at the MGM Grand Garden arena
NEW FACES
The Rebels welcome the addition of four newcomers as well as a redshirt from last year's roster. Nora Bernson, a 5-11 freshman outside hitter from St. Pius X HS in Albuquerque, N.M., was selected as New Mexico's Player of the Year last season. Amber Graham, a 6-foot freshman middle blocker from Cimmaron-Memorial HS in Las Vegas, Nev., was selected first-team all-league last year. Jeanette Graves, a 6-1 junior outside hitter who transferred from Salt Lake City (Utah) CC, was a 1997 second-team JC All-American and first-team all-region player last year. The final newcomer is Keala Nihipali, a 5-9 sophomore setter who transferred from the University of Hawai'i. Tiffany Whigham, a 5-11 junior middle blocker who redshirted last year is now eligible to play.
REBEL RETURNERS
The Rebels return nine players from last year's squad. 6-foot setter Meri-de Boyer, the team's lone senior, will be looked upon to lead the team. She led the team in assists (8.77 pg) and digs (2.98 pg) last year. Angie Sylvas, a 5-11 junior outside hitter, suffered a season-ending knee injury during the seventh game of 1997 and received a medical redshirt. She was leading the team with 4.46 kills per game before the injury. Sylvas is the only Rebel to ever win a WAC Player of the Week award as she won it during the first week of 1997. The other returning outside hitters for the Rebels are 5-10 junior Christel Eves, 6-foot junior Danielle Gerlach and 6-foot sophomore Justine Kamelamela. Eves and Gerlach also play middle blocker. 6-3 sophomore Michele Peoples is the other returning middle blocker for the Rebels. Peoples led the team in blocks per game last year with 1.00. Returning at the defensive specialist position are Ana Ramos, a 5-4 sophomore, Kendra Wilkinson, a 5-4 junior and Erica Enfield, a 5-8 junior.
PROBABLE REBEL STARTERS
No. Player Pos. Ht. Yr.-Exp. Hometown/Last School 1998 Statistics 9 Meri-de Boyer S 6-0 Sr.-2V Poway, Calif./UCSB 15.09 apg, 2.95 dpg, 1.27 kpg14 Christel Eves OH/MB 5-10 Jr.-2V Henderson, Nev./Basic HS 2.00 kpg, 1.64 dpg, 0.91 bpg 4 Justine Kamelamela OH 6-0 So.-1V Aiea, Hawai'i/Kamehameha HS 5.11 kpg, 3.21 dpg, 0.53 bpg 5 Keala Nihipali DS 5-9 So.-TR Las Vegas, Nev./Hawai'i 2.85 dpg 2 Ana Ramos DS 5-4 So.-1V Honolulu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha HS 2.59 dpg, 0.36 sapg15 Angie Sylvas OH 5-11 Jr.-RS Las Vegas, Nev./San Jose State 4.70 kpg, 3.45 dpg, 0.60 sapg (Med.)
LAST YEAR
The 1997 UNLV volleyball team opened the season with a best-ever start of 7-1...After suffering some critical injuries the team struggled and finished with an overall record of 9-18 and seventh in the WAC's Mountain Divison with a 2-14 mark, failing to make the conference tournament.
ONLY IN ITS THIRD YEAR
This is UNLV's third season with volleyball since the program was restarted in 1996 after 11 years off.
LAST WEEK
Last week, UNLV finished in second place as it hosted the Official All-Star Cafe/UNLV Volleyball Classic...The Rebels defeated Youngstown State (3-0), New Mexico State (3-1) and lost to Southwest Texas State (3-1)...Sophomore outside hitter Justine Kamelamela was named to the all-tournament team.
NEXT WEEK
UNLV will be home to host Utah State on Monday, Sept. 21, and San Diego State on Saturday, Sept. 26. Both matches will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Lied Gymnasium.
THE LAST TIME
UNLV's best start to a season was 5-0 in 1979...The Rebels matched that this season, before falling to 5-1...Last season UNLV started 7-1 for its best start ever...The Rebels can tie that with two wins and break it with three straight.
SERIES HISTORY
UNLV has never faced Idaho, North Carolina, Cincinnati or George Mason in volleyball.
HEAD COACH DEITRE COLLINS
Head coach Deitre Collins (Hawai'i, '95) is in her third season at UNLV. A former member of the U.S. National Team and a three-time NCAA All-American middle blocker at Hawai'i, Collins, led her first Rebel team to a 1996 WAC Tournament berth and this past summer led the U.S. Junior National Team to a gold medal performance at the NORCECA Zonal Championships, qualifying the team for the junior world championships in 1999. 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). The fourth coach in the history of Rebel volleyball, Collins is the only volleyball player ever to be named the Broderick Cup recipient, earning the award as the best collegiate athlete in 1983. She also is a two-time Broderick Award honoree, being named the best collegiate volleyball player in 1983 and 1984. In 1982 and 1983, she led the Rainbow Wahine to consecutive NCAA Championships as well as a record of 110-5 in her final three seasons. Her career head coaching record is 19-41.
ASSISTANT COACH KEVIN HAMBLY
Kevin Hambly (BYU, '98) is in his second 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 KEE WILLIAMS
Kee Williams (Hawai'i '95) was named to the UNLV coaching staff this past summer. Williams, in her first year, 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.
REBEL HONORS
Sophomore outside hitter Justine Kamelamela was named to the all-tournament team of the Official All-Star Cafe/UNLV Volleyball Classic in Las Vegas...Junior outside hitter Angie Sylvas was named tournament MVP of the Nanook Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska...Senior setter Meri-de Boyer and Kamelamela were both selected to that all-tournament team.
REBEL RECORDS SET
UNLV set four team records vs. Southwest Texas State...They are most kills in a match (102), most attack attempts in a match (254), most assists in a match (89) and most digs in a match (96)...Angie Sylvas set the UNLV individual record for most attack attempts in a match with 75 vs. Southwest Texas State.
KAMELAMELA, SYLVAS ARE DOUBLE-TROUBLE
So far this season, sophomore outside hitter Justine Kamelamela and junior outside hitter Angie Sylvas are putting up huge numbers. Kamelamela is leading the WAC in kills with 5.11 per game and Sylvas is second in the WAC with 4.70 kills per game...They are also 1-2 in digs on the team with Sylvas averaging 3.45 and Kamelamela averaging 3.21 per game...Sylvas has five double-doubles in kills and digs this year, while Kamelamela has three.
CAREER HIGHS SET
UNLV players are putting up some impressive numbers this season and have already added to their career highs...Ana Ramos recorded 19 digs vs. Southwest Texas State, Justine Kamelamela had 28 kills vs. SWT, Keala Nihipali had 19 digs vs. SWT, Danielle Gerlach had 15 kills vs. SWT, Angie Sylvas had 27 kills vs. SWT and Christel Eves tied her career-high with 11 digs vs. New Mexico State.
NEWCOMERS STANDOUT
Freshman outside hitter Nora Bernson turned in a solid performance recording 11 digs and nine kills in the victory over Iowa State and added 14 kills vs. Youngstown State...Sophomore Keala Nihipali has had three games with double figures in digs including a career-high 19 digs vs. SWT...Junior outside hitter Jeanette Graves was impressive vs. Duke, recording 14 kills and seven digs...Freshman middle blocker Amber Graham recorded 12 kills vs. SWT.
LEADERS OF THE WAC
UNLV is one of only five tems in the WAC with one loss or fewer...UNLV ranks No. 1 in the WAC in three of six categories...They are kills, assists and digs per game...The Rebels are averaging 19.09 kills, 1.73 assists and 19.00 digs per game...Sophomore Justine Kamelamela is leading the WAC in kills with 5.11 per game, while junior outside hitter Angie Sylvas is second with 4.70...Sylvas is also third in the WAC in service aces with 0.60 and fourth in digs with 3.45...Senior setter Meri-de Boyer is leading the WAC in assists with 15.09 per game.
AMONG NCAA LEADERS As of Sept. 6, UNLV senior setter Meri-de Boyer was 18th in the nation in assists per game at 14.00...As a team UNLV was 15th in the nation in digs with 19.18 and 20th in the nation in kills with 17.54 per game.
USA TODAY/AVCA TOP 25 POLL
Poll No. 1, Sept. 7Rank Team Pts Rec. Lst Wk 1 Penn St (36) 1467 4-0 1 2 Long Bch St (24) 1464 4-0 2 3 USC 1354 3-1 3 4 Nebraska 1323 4-0 5 5 UCSB 1174 3-0 10 6 BYU 1112 4-0 8 7 Texas 1101 3-0 9 8 Wisconsin 1046 4-1 7 9 Stanford 1024 2-2 410 Pacific 967 4-0 1111 Florida 940 2-1 612 Colorado 864 2-0 1213 Hawaii 851 2-1 1414 Ohio State 795 2-1 1315 Arkansas 625 2-1 1516 Michigan State 562 3-0 1717 L. Marymount 466 3-0 2018 Notre Dame 442 1-1 1619 Texas A&M 406 2-1 1920 UCLA 313 0-3 1821 San Diego 256 2-2 2122 Florida State 228 3-0 2423 Washington 136 0-2 2324 Washington St 126 2-1 2225 Arizona 99 4-0 N/R
Others receiving points:Illinois (84), Michigan (64),Minnesota (42), Louisville (33),Texas Tech (31), Pepperdine (29),Kansas State (21), Clemson (14),Utah (10), Oklahoma (9),Illinois State (8), Miami (Ohio) (4),Sacramento State (4), Colorado State (3),Fresno State (3), Oral Roberts (3),Ball State (2), Arkansas State (1),Georgia (1), Northern Illinois (1).
Italics indicate 1998 UNLV opponent
OTHER REBEL NOTES
The Rebels had five players record double figures in digs vs. Duke (Ramos18, Kamelamela 16, Sylvas 15, Boyer 12, Nihipali 10), while three had double figures in kills (Kamelamela 25, Sylvas 20, Graves 14)...The Rebels recorded their highest hitting percentage of the season with a .302 performance vs. UAF...UNLV had four players record double figures in digs vs. New Mexico State...The Rebels had five players record double figures in digs vs. SWT and five had double-digits in kills, two with more than 25...UNLV has averaged almost six more kills than it opponents this season, almost four more digs and over four and a half assists.
COACHES' POLL
1998 WAC Volleyball Coaches' Preseason Poll
Pacific DivisionBrigham Young (13) 118Hawai'i (3) 105Utah 88Fresno State 73San Diego State 72New Mexico 49San Jose State 37UTEP 26
Mountain DivisionColorado State (13) 117Wyoming (3) 108SMU 76UNLV 72TCU 63Rice 59Tulsa 47Air Force 22
1998 WAC ChampionBrigham Young 13Hawai'i 3
