Sept. 6, 2000
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV Volleyball program will enter its 10th season of existence in the 2000 season. The program's inaugural season took place in 1978 and over the next 22 years, the sport of volleyball has been played nine times (1978-80, '84-85, '96 - present). The program will begin play in its fourth decade entering the 21st century with a lot of optimism.
The 2000 Rebel squad will welcome many new faces and the challenges will lie ahead in one of the most competitive leagues in the country for women's volleyball - the Mountain West Conference.
UNLV fifth-year head coach Deitre Collins, who has compiled an overall record of 49-62 and has averaged 17.5 wins over the last two years, is excited about the challenges. "The past four years have been a building process and we are trying to reach that next level," she said. "We have the toughest schedule we could of possibly ever played this season. This year we are definitely trying to take a big step."
The big step will take place in the 14-game MWC schedule, which features national powers such as BYU and Colorado State. The conference season will begin on Friday, Sept. 22, at BYU. UNLV will face New Mexico in the MWC home opener on Sept. 28.
The MWC format will be the same as last season with each team playing a home-and-home series. The Rebels will face Air Force Academy, BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming. BYU captured the regular season championship and Colorado captured the inaugural MWC Tournament. BYU, Colorado State and Utah advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
The non-conference schedule is just as stellar as the conference slate. UNLV will open the campaign on Sept. 1, at nationally ranked Florida in the Suntrust Invitational. UNLV will face Florida, Wisconsin, and Ball State.
UNLV then will host the Invitational on Sept. 8-9, and face Idaho State, Alabama, Boise State, and San Jose State. UNLV will travel to nationally ranked and Collins' alma mater Hawai'i to face UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 14 and the Rainbow Wahine on Sept. 16. UNLV will host Nevada, Reno on Nov. 8, and conclude the non-conference season and the regular season at the Baylor Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 24-25, and will face Baylor and either Connecticut or UCLA.
The 2000 season will feature home games at the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center. "We are playing the majority of our games in the Thomas & Mack Center," Collins said. "It's such a recognizable arena. People know it and you can tell them that's where we play our home games. When you go into a recruits home, you can boast about the facility. It's going to be a lot of fun to play our games in there.
"It's a great plus for our program. We are basically starting a new era with a lot of new faces on the team and playing in this facility. Hopefully, more fans will come out to the games."
Following the 2000 season, UNLV will play in the Cox Pavilion, which will be connected to the Thomas & Mack Center. The pavilion will be a multi-purpose, state-of-the-art venue to be completed in the spring of 2001.
"This new facility means the world to UNLV volleyball," Collins said. "I think it's great timing for us as we continue to grow and it will only enhance our recruiting efforts. Beginning in the 2001 season, we will now have a venue that we can finally call home."
The program is definitely playing its most competitive schedule in its history. Collins is confident it will make her team ready for the grueling conference slate.
"The thing that we saw last year is that we needed to learn to compete better against the tough teams," she said. "The only way to do that is to play the tough teams more often. That's the reason why our schedule is so competitive this season. We scheduled this year knowing that we may not have the wins that we would like to have, but by the end of the season our goal is to walk into the gym and know that we can compete with anybody. "We have at least seven freshmen competing against these top teams. They will begin to perform better and we will have a chance to win some games. We may not have the record that we want but we have recruited better athletes who are bigger and stronger, and by playing a better schedule, we hope to start building a new era." UNLV hopes to improve upon its 1999 record of 12-14 and 4-10 mark in the inaugural MWC season.
"The league is just as strong this season," Collins said. "BYU and Colorado State will still continue to battle for the top. Utah had a great recruiting year. We have a chance to be in there. A lot of people don't know what to expect from us because we have so many new players."
THE SETTERS
UNLV will return both setters from last year's squad. The experience is solid with junior Julia Goes and senior Robyn Shea.
Julia returns for her second season. She is one of two starters returning. She appeared in 21 matches and 53 games last season and led the team with 586 assists for a 11.06 average, which ranked fifth in the Mountain West Conference. She compiled a season-high 78 assists against Nevada, Reno on Sept. 28 and recorded 62 against Air Force Academy on Nov. 19 and 59 against New Mexico on Nov. 20. She hit the century mark with 100 digs for a 1.89 average. She was named to the Mountain West Conference All-Academic Team. She attended National American University before transferring to UNLV.
Shea also returns for her second season. She appeared in 11 matches and 29 games played last season and ranked second on the team with 292 assists for a 10.07 average. She compiled a season-high 46 assists against USC on Sept. 18. She played two seasons at Weber State before transferring to UNLV. She has majored in kinesiology at UNLV and will be taking classes toward a master's degree during the fall semester.
THE OUTSIDE HITTERS
Freshman Sarah Fachner will add depth. She is a graduate of Escalson High School in Calif.
Sophomore redshirt Oge Fitz returns for her second season. She was declared a redshirt last season and appeared in four matches and five games played. She played the 1998 season at Cal State Fullerton.
Freshman redshirt Leiana Oswald returns for her second season. A 1999 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, she was selected as her league's MVP during her senior season.
Junior Cordelia Palepoi rounds out the outside hitters. She played last season at Dixie College in St. George, Utah.
THE MIDDLE BLOCKERS
The middle blocker position is one that Collins is very familiar with as she was an Olympian at that position. UNLV possesses good depth with six middle blockers.
Freshman Patricia Assuncao will add depth. She is a graduate of Colegio Radial in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fachner, who can also play at the outside hitter position, is one of four freshman at the middle blocker position.
Junior Amber Graham returns for her third season and is one of the team's top returners. She has appeared in 52 career matches and 175 games played and has 366 kills. She ranks third all-time in UNLV history with a .255 hitting percentage behind Sheila Nicks, .292 and Christel Eves, .282. Last season, she appeared in 23 matches and 82 games and compiled 175 kills which ranked third on the team. She tied her career-high with 19 kills against Nevada, Reno on Sept. 28 and also had 19 kills against Colorado State on Oct. 24, 1998. She recorded 10 or more kills five times and ranked second on the team with 83 total blocks for a 1.01 percentage. As a freshman, she appeared in 29 matches and 93 games. She was second on the team and 15th in the WAC in hitting efficiency with a percentage of .294. Amber is a local product of Cimarron-Memorial High School. She lettered four years and was a first-team All-Sunset League selection her senior year.
Freshmen Michelle Johnson and Christina Kirschner will gain valuable experience in their first collegiate season. Johnson is a graduate Yucaipa High School in Calif., and Kirschner is a graduate of Long Beach Poly High School in Calif.
Sophomore Blair Wilkes returns to her hometown and will provide strength in the middle blocker position. She played last season at Long Beach State and is a 1998 graduate of Durango High School.
THE DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
The defensive specialist position features the team's lone four-year player in senior Ana Ramos. She has appeared in 81 career matches and 286 games played, which ranks second all-time in UNLV history. She has recorded 519 career digs, which ranks fifth all-time in UNLV history. Last season, she appeared in 25 of 26 matches and 84 games played. She recorded a season-high 13 digs against New Mexico on Nov. 20.
Sophomore Shannon Chase returns for her second season. She saw limited action last season and appeared in six matches and nine games played. Newcomers Janna Mackey and Nina Franchini will add depth. Mackey played last season at Dixie College in St. George, Utah, and Franchini is a freshman from Albuquerque, N.M.
OVERALL
"This could be a very good season," Collins said. "We have a much bigger team physically than we've had in the past."
Time will tell if everything can jell for the 2000 squad. The nucleus is in place to field a competitive team.
The Rebels are hopeful that they can put together a strong conference season and to also make a strong showing at the second Mountain West Conference Tournament to be held on Nov. 16-18, at Fort Collins, Colo.
