Aug. 12, 2004

Las Vegas - A little change can be a good thing for anyone. As for the UNLV Rebel volleyball team, it is hoping a big change at the top provides the boost needed to return to the top of the Mountain West Conference standings. First-year head coach Allison Keeley and the Rebels open camp today and Keeley and her squad are hopeful for a strong season and a return to winning ways for UNLV volleyball. To do that though, Keeley has about 20 days to implement her offensive and defensive philosophies, get her players and her assistant coaches on the same page and most importantly, find players who are ready to contribute from a group of 13 underclassmen to go along with UNLV's three seniors and one junior. "We have two weeks before the season starts to decide what type of volleyball we are going to play and what works well for the players we have," Keeley said. "We know as coaches that what we do works. It will be up to us to get the players to believe that what we do will work." Helping to smooth that transition will be the trio of seniors - Nicki King, Tarin Keith and Nina Franchini. All three have a vast amount of experience and will be looked upon to lead the team. King returns for her senior season as the all-time assist leader in UNLV history with 3,197 and is one of the top setters in the Mountain West Conference. Helping to get the ball into King's hands will be Franchini, who led the team in digs last season with 263. Once the ball gets to King, expect a lot of balls to be passed in the direction of Keith. The left outside hitter crushed 206 kills last season and will be one of UNLV's top offensive threats. After those three, it becomes a matter of who is ready to play significant minutes and contribute for Keeley and the Rebels. Several players will get the chance during camp to prove themselves before the Rebels open the 2004 season at home Sep. 3 against Washington State. Sophomore outside hitter Michelle Banks bookends Keith at right outside hitter, where Banks had 135 kills in 27 matches last season. Sophomore Kandace Scarlett and freshmen Maria Aladjova, Brittani Lumsden and Kortney Reid will add depth and youth to the outside. If the Rebels run a two setter offense, sophomore Tamara Kauliakamoa, along with freshman Lianna Capurro and Marisa Okamoto may see playing time this season. Kauliakamoa played in 20 games last year and posted 109 assists. Defensively the Rebels have several players beside Franchini who can play along the back line. Sophomore libero Kristin Koochi came off the bench last season and finished with 131 digs. Two freshmen, Nicole Okada and Jada Walker, will add depth to the libero position. "Our defense should be excellent and our offense will be alright," Keeley said. "Across the board we will be very aggressive and will play as a team. We don't expect perfection, but we expect to play as a team."