Aug. 30, 2001
LAS VEGAS -
Friday: UNLV vs. Baylor 2:30 p.m. PSTSaturday: UNLV vs. Tulane 8:00 a.m. PSTSaturday: UNLV vs. New Orleans 1:00 p.m. PST
THE OPPONENTS
BAYLOR: UNLV opens the season with Baylor, a team the Rebels faced at the end of last season in the Baylor Thanksgiving Classic. UNLV lost that match, 0-3, despite out-hitting and out-blocking the Bears.
"I think it helps us," said Baylor head coach Brian Hosfeld on the new rules changes for the 2001 season. "You look at our history and what we've been good at, it's scoring in transition. There's also going to be a premium for siding out to stay in the game, and it's the defense that's going to score the points for you. On the flip side of that, if you don't side out well you are going to have to play defense in order to stay in the game."
TULANE: Picked as a "Team to Watch" by Volleyball Magazine, the Green Wave return five starters from a team that recorded its highest win total in seven years last season. UNLV and Tulane have never met on the volleyball court prior to this season.
"We have a tremendous amount of depth this season," Tulane head coach Betsy Becker said. "I think we really have the ability to attack teams from every point on the court. The level of excitement is just unbelievable. This should be a great year for Tulane volleyball."
NEW ORLEANS: Last season the Privateers advanced to the 2000 Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game as the number three seed from the west division -- before falling to UALR in four-games. New Orleans returns eight letterwinners and brings four freshmen to the team with the hopes of building on last season's success.
"We lost leadership and experience with our departing seniors, but I am excited about our core of returning players as well as the incoming freshmen," Privateers head coach Stempel Ibieta said. "We certainly have depth at every position and everyone will have to fight for playing time."
UNLV hosted New Orleans in the 1999 UNLV Invitational. The Rebels beat the Privateers 3-0 (15-8, 15-5, 15-6) before falling to USC in the championship game.
REBEL OUTLOOK
The 2001 Rebel volleyball team hopes to establish itself as a power in one of the most highly competitive volleyball conferences in the country. The Rebels begin their third season in the Mountain West Conference, a league in which Brigham Young, Colorado State and Utah are consistently ranked amongst the country's elite.
The Rebels welcome a few new faces to the wealth of returning talent, including four returning starters.
Last season, the Rebels played arguably the toughest schedule in the program's history, facing ten nationally ranked opponents. Though the Rebels struggled, the challenge began to pay dividends towards the end of the season when UNLV won four of its last six matches heading into the conference tournament.
In her sixth year, UNLV's head coach Deitre Collins is excited about the challenges. "The past five years have been a building process and we are trying to reach that next level," she said.
OUTSIDE HITTER
UNLV should be extremely strong at the outside hitter position with the return of Patricia Assuncao and Leiana Oswald.
Now entering her sophomore season, Oswald led the team in kills (307), attempts (951) and solo blocks (13) last year.
Assuncau moved around a lot last season and spent the entire spring season on the outside. She was third on the team with 193 kills and led the team in service aces with 26.
Sophomore Michelle Johnson will help solidify the starting rotation, while redshirt freshman Sarah Fachner and newcomers Jodi Hendricks and Serene Hunter will come off the bench and battle for time.
MIDDLE BLOCKER
Middle Blocker is another strong position for the Rebels next season with junior Blair Wilkes, sophomore Christina Kirschner and incoming freshman Sheila Clemente-Ocasio solidifying the middle court.
Wilkes comes in as the starting middle blocker with Kirschner and Clemente-Ocasio battling for the second middle blocker spot.
Kirschner is greatly improved both offensively and defensively and the addition of 6-5 Clemente-Ocasio will give the Rebels a great deal of size and depth in the middle.
Michelle Johnson, who will play mostly right side this season, will also be able to step in and help out at the middle blocker position.
SETTER
Maria Julia Goes enters her senior season as the incumbent setter, and will be backed up by incoming freshman Nicki King.
Goes served up 937 assists last season, the third best single-season effort in school history. She also finished second on the team in digs with 162 and had no reception errors.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Junior Shannon Chase is expected to be the team's top defensive specialist. Chase appeared in 76 games for the Rebels last season with 1.37 digs per game. Her size and athletic ability also allow her to share time as an outside hitter.
Chase, Janna Mackey, Nina Franchini, and Tera Mayes make this one of the team's deepest positions.
SCHEDULE
The Rebels will ready themselves for conference play by opening the season with three straight tournaments. UNLV will join Baylor, New Orleans and Louisiana State at the Tulane Tournament in New Orleans.
UNLV will return to Las Vegas for the second annual Gameworks/UNLV Invitational. The Rebels will host Gonzaga, Western Carolina and American in the two-day, round robin format.
Following their home tournament, the Rebels travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Arkansas Tournament with North Texas, Southeast Missouri State and South Florida.
Other non-conference competition includes the annual contest with Silver State rival Nevada, Reno and the first post-season tournament hosted by the Rebels, the UNLV Thanksgiving Classic. Washington State, Rice and William & Mary are all scheduled to attend.
"It's a competitive schedule," said Collins. "It is toned down from last year, but we'll be playing teams we can compete with day-in and day-out. It is definitely not an easy schedule, and it will make us better for the start of conference play."
