July 30, 1999
LAS VEGAS - In each of its first three years back on campus, the UNLV volleyball team has made significant improvements from season to season. Last year, the squad finished with an overall record of 23-8 and ended up second in the Western Athletic Conference's Mountain Division at 11-3. The team concluded its most successful season to date by advancing to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, falling to No. 6 Brigham Young.
The 1999 Rebel squad hopes to go above and beyond what it has ever accomplished before. 1998 WAC Mountain Division Co-Coach of the Year Deitre Collins likes what her program has accomplished and knows where the program needs to be heading. "We definitely have set a tone for going above and beyond what we have always done the previous year," she said. "Our goal this year is to make the finals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament and have a chance to win the championship."
Another goal the 1999 Rebels have is to become a top 25 program and gain access to the NCAA Tournament. Last season, UNLV received votes in the national poll for the first time in its history.
"Getting votes last year started to open up some eyes on the national level for us," Collins said. "The voters now have to stop and consider us. Being ranked would be a wonderful thing and it is nice to know that our program is heading in the direction where people are aware of the high level that we compete at."
No team can play at such a high level without a few individual stars, and the Rebels return some outstanding players. UNLV returns 10 letterwinners from a year ago, which includes second-team All-WAC selections in senior outside hitter Angie Sylvas and junior outside hitter Justine Kamelamela.
Sylvas, after overcoming knee surgery the year before, led the Rebels in kills per game with 4.08 and also led the team in digs per game with 2.66. She was fifth in the WAC in kills per game. Kamelamela averaged 3.68 kills per game, which was second on the squad and 2.56 digs per game, which ranked third.
UNLV has six seniors on this year's team so the Rebels will not be lacking in experience when the season starts on September 3. In addition to the returning all-stars, the Rebels welcome six newcomers.
In 1998, UNLV recorded 13 wins to only one loss in the friendly confines of Lied Gymnasium and that home court advantage will be critical to the success of 1999.
"If we can play as well at home as we did last year and then go out and win some more road matches, that will put us in the position we want heading into the postseason," Collins said. "Our conference is much tougher now, so we are going to have to play above and beyond the level that we have ever been at, and that is what we are working towards."
THE SETTERS
UNLV lost only one starter to graduation following the 1998 season in setter Meri-de Boyer. Last season Boyer was named first-team All-WAC, UNLV's first-ever selection to that team.
"We are definitely in a transition mode with the setter position," Collins said. "However, we have very high expectations of the players we have brought in."
The players who will have to carry that weight on their shoulders are transfers Robyn Shea and Maria Julia Goes. Shea transferred from Weber State, while Goes came from National American University.
"Robyn, who ran a 6-2 at Weber State, will take a different role here with a 5-1 offense," Collins said. "Maria, who played at a high level in Brazil, came over to the U.S. and played at a small college last year. She is really looking forward to playing back at a high level, which is why she was interested in coming to UNLV. We expect them to be competing very hard for that spot."
Shea, a 5-10 junior from Salt Lake City, Utah, averaged 8.81 assists per game last year and added 1.39 digs per game. She competed with the Rebels in the spring and has accumulated some experience with the players that were on the 1998 roster.
Goes, a 5-9 sophomore from Sorocaba, Brazil, averaged 34.63 assists per match last season. She played on the Brazilian national team as a high schooler which gave her some good experience with top competition.
"We don't know who is going to get the starting spot," Collins said. "I do know how hard Robyn works every day and as I talk to Maria in Brazil, I know she is playing constantly and really wants to do well too. One thing that we are very thankful for is that we now have two setters that are ready and willing to do all that it takes to lead our team."
THE OUTSIDE HITTERS
A position that the Rebels don't have too much concern over is outside hitter. UNLV is extremely deep at that spot and Collins will have her hands full trying to determine who gets to play.
The Rebels' options for lining up on the outside are returners Nora Bernson, Danielle Gerlach, Jeanette Graves, Kamelamela, Sylvas and newcomers Shannon Chase (who will also play the defensive specialist position) and Oge Fitz.
Expected to lead the squad on the offensive end will be Sylvas and Kamelamela. Sylvas is 5-11 and from Las Vegas, while Kamelamela is 6-feet and from Aiea, Hawai'i.
"Angie is as strong as ever and looking forward to her senior season," Collins said. "Justine is such a talented athlete and we are happy to have her. With those two giving the performances that they did last year and the others competing for that third spot, we have developed a nice problem for ourselves in determining who will play."
Bernson, a 5-10 sophomore from Albuquerque, N.M., averaged 1.53 kills and 1.92 digs per game last season, her first with the Rebels.
"Nora has great ball control, which is something that we want to focus on excelling at this year," Collins said.
Gerlach, a 6-foot senior from Edwards, Calif., has been with UNLV since the program restarted and came on last year to become an important part of the team. She played in all but two matches and averaged 2.20 kills and 1.83 digs per game last year.
"Danielle will be right there competing for that third outside hitter spot on the floor," Collins said.
Graves, who could be considered the 1998 Rebel newcomer of the year is a 6-1 senior from West Jordan, Utah. Graves, who near the end of the 1998 campaign was electrifying the crowd with her powerful kills averaged 3.83 per game. She also averaged 1.61 digs per game.
"Jeanette is finally coming into her own and is really looking forward to her senior year," Collins said.
Chase, a 5-9 freshman from Las Vegas, transferred to UNLV from Colorado State. She didn't play intercollegiate volleyball at CSU and has decided to play for the Rebels.
"Shannon didn't play last year, but she will be a nice addition to our team," Collins said. "She will offer us stability in our passing and defense."
The final outside hitter, Fitz, is a 5-10 sophomore from San Jose, Calif. Fitz played at Cal State Fullerton last year and averaged 1.81 kills and 1.08 digs per game.
"Oge has a 30-inch vertical leap, which illustrates her raw athletic ability," Collins said. "She will contribute athletically to the team and is definitely a prospect for the future."
THE MIDDLE BLOCKERS
The middle blocker position is one that Collins is very familiar with as she was an Olympian at that position. The middle blockers that the Rebels will have at their disposal this season are returners Christel Eves and Amber Graham, and newcomers Alicia Erickson and Leiana Oswald.
Eves, a 5-10 senior from Henderson, is another three-year letterwinner. She has been very solid the last couple of years and was a recipient of the WAC Player of the Week award last year. She led the team in blocks per game with 1.17 and averaged 2.82 kills and 1.91 digs per game last year. She also led the team in hitting percentage at .358.
Graham, a 5-11 sophomore from Las Vegas, completed her first season with UNLV last year and averaged 0.98 blocks per game, which ranked third on the squad. She also recorded 2.05 kills per game.
Erickson, a 6-4 sophomore from Henderson, transferred to UNLV from Washington State. As a Cougar last season she averaged 1.21 blocks per game, which ranked ninth in the Pac-10 Conference. She also recorded 1.43 kills per game.
The final middle blocker is Oswald. She is a 6-foot freshman from Burnaby, B.C., Canada. She was selected as her league's MVP during her senior season as well as being named a first-team all-provincial selection.
"We finally have added a couple more middle blockers to our roster," Collins said. "We have added size by getting Alicia and she has the experience of playing in the Pac-10. We are real excited about Alicia coming and adding a different look to our team. Leiana, being a freshman, will need work but she is probably the most athletic person on our team right now. She played with the Canadian junior national team during the summer, so she will have a lot of experience playing at a good level.
"Leiana's style of play is very similar to Christel and Amber's. They are all quick and jump very well. With Christel and Amber getting consistently better in the blocking area, we will be much more solid at that position than in the past."
THE DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
The final position on the court for the Rebels is defensive specialist. The DS's UNLV has are returners Erica Enfield, Ana Ramos, Kendra Wilkinson and newcomer Chase.
Enfield, a 5-8 senior from Honolulu, Hawai'i, averaged 0.94 digs per game last season.
Ramos, a 5-4 junior from Honolulu, Hawai'i as well, saw the most playing time last year at the DS position. She recorded 2.03 digs per game, appearing in all of UNLV's 31 matches.
Wilkinson, a 5-4 senior from Lakewood, Calif., saw limited action last year recording 0.67 digs per game.
Chase will split time between the defensive specialist and outside hitter positions.
"Our defensive specialists have been very stable for us," Collins said. "We saw Kendra have a great spring and she should be competing to get a spot to play. It will be tough for the DS's this year because our outside hitters are so good at defense. Shannon is a great passer and will have to compete with Ana for that passing role. Kendra and Erica are very good defensive players, so we should be solid on defense."
With 16 players on the roster, Collins knows it will be difficult to decide who gets the call to play. "With only 12 players able to travel, the competition in practice will be intense. But that's what makes you better as a team."
THE SCHEDULE
The Rebels start the year at home on Sept. 3 as they host the Official All-Star Cafe/UNLV Volleyball Classic, featuring Iowa State, UMKC and Southern Illinois. "That will be a pretty good tournament," Collins said. "It is nice to open the season at home for a change and we expect to get off to a good start."
Next up for the Rebels will be a cross-country trip to the University of Maryland on Sept. 10 to play in the Terrapin Invitational featuring Colorado State, Louisville, Maryland and Rutgers. UNLV will not face CSU in that affair.
"The tournament in Maryland will definitely be a tough one," Collins said. "Those teams have had some great seasons in the past and it will be very competitive. It is also important for us because that is when we begin our road play. Those schools are also important because they are well-ranked as far as the RPI goes."
The Rebels will host their second tournament of the season on Sept. 17 in the UNLV Invitational, which features New Orleans, Oral Roberts and Southern California.
"ORU has been a top-10 team the last few years and Southern California is always tough," Collins said. "This invitational is not a round-robin, so our first match is important against New Orleans so we can play in the championship the following day."
How the Rebels fare in those tournaments will have a big impact on how successful 1999 is for them. "It would be nice to set the tone for the rest of the year with a good record following those season-opening tournaments," Collins said.
The Rebels will then play three consecutive road matches before opening the Mountain West Conference season. UNLV will travel to Pepperdine, Santa Clara and Nevada, Reno before hosting San Diego State in its first-ever MWC match.
"Pepperdine had the nation's best recruiting class this offseason, Santa Clara was ranked consistently last year in the top 25 and UNR is always competitive with us, especially at their place." Collins said. "That stretch of matches will be very tough."
UNLV will then start Mountain West play with SDSU at home before traveling to BYU and Utah. The Rebels will come home to face Wyoming and Colorado State before returning on the road to battle New Mexico and Air Force. UNLV will play home and away against every Mountain West opponent.
"As I look at our new conference, there is just no relaxing," Collins said. "Last year with our quadrants that we faced in the WAC, there were teams that should not have been better than us, but every team in this league can come out and beat anyone. It is extremely competitive and should be ranked higher in the nation as a conference than the WAC was last year."
The conference tournament will be held in Provo, Utah, Nov. 24-27.
Entering the new Mountain West Conference will pose its challenges, but the Rebels are ready to go above and beyond in 1999.
