Nov. 16, 2001

PROVO, Utah - The UNLV volleyball team was eliminated from the 2001 Mountain West Conference Tournament by No. 1 seed Colorado State, losing to the Rams 3-0 (30-13, 30-11, 30-15) Friday evening.

The Rebels entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed and upset San Diego State on Thursday to advance to the semifinal round against Colorado State, a team currently ranked eighth in the nation.

With the win, the Rams advance to the tournament championship for the third straight year. Colorado State will have made an appearance in every title game in MWC history.

Patricia Assuncao led the Rebels with nine kills and a .231 attack percentage in the losing effort. She also finished with three digs.

Michelle Johnson added six kills, four digs and one block assist.

Shante Anderson added a spark to the Rebel lineup all weekend. She led the team defensively against the Rams with eight digs and also contributed three kills.

The Rams neutralized all-conference selection Blair Wilkes, limiting her to two kills and a -.235 attack percentage.

MWC Freshman of the Year Sheila Ocasio-Clemente, who leads the nation in blocks per game, saw little playing time in the three-game match and finished with no stats.

Courtney Cox led Colorado State with 12 kills and a .417 attack percentage. The Rams out-hit UNLV .402 to -.033 for the match.

The Rebels host the UNLV Thanksgiving Classic post-season tournament next weekend. Washington State, Rice and William & Mary are scheduled to compete. The Rebels take on William & Mary at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Thomas & Mack Center.