Oct. 10, 2006
LAS VEGAS -
Weekly Release Eight in PDF Format
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First Serve: The Rebels hit the road this weekend with two matches in the state of Colorado. UNLV plays at Colorado State (Fort Collins) on Friday and at Air Force (USAF Academy) on Saturday. The Rebels ride a four-match winning streak into the weekend following a 3-0 win over Wyoming this past Saturday. UNLV sits 13-5 overall and 4-2 in Mountain West Conference play. CSU is 10-6 and 4-2, while Air Force is 1-13 and 0-6.
Scouting the Opponents:
Colorado State Rams (record as of 10-9-06): 10-6 Overall / 4-2 MWC2005 Overall / Conference: 21-9 Overall / 12-4 (2nd)
Team Leaders:Jaime Strauss Kills (188) & KPG (3.42)Ashley Fornstrom Assists (695) & APG (11.98)Katelin Batten Digs (192) & DPG (3.31)Ashley Fornstrom Blocks (57) & BPG (0.98)
~UNLV trails in the series 3-19, which includes winning the last match at CSU.
~Last meeting: UNLV won 3-1 in Fort Collins on Nov. 4, 2005.
Air Force Falcons (record as of 10-9-06): 1-13 Overall / 0-6 MWC2005 Overall / Conference: 5-28 Overall / 1-15 (9th)
Team Leaders:Kristina Stewart Kills (93) & KPG (2.51)Kim Kallabis Assists (271) & APG (6.16)Jaclyn Fleming Digs (135) & DPG (3.65)Jocelyn Booker Blocks (35) & BPG (0.80)
~UNLV leads the series 18-2, which includes 13 straight wins dating back to 1999.
~Last meeting: UNLV won 3-0 in Las Vegas on Oct. 27, 2005.
UNLV vs. Wyoming Revisited: UNLV out hit Wyoming .217 to .095, as the Rebels hit no lower than .154 in all three games, while the Cowgirls' highest tally in any game was .102. UNLV hit .366 in the first game and followed that with .154 and .174 in two and three, respectively. Wyoming, on the other hand, went south in hitting after its first game. UW hit .102 in the first, .094 in the second and .089 in the third. Overall, the Rebels threw down 53 kills to Wyoming's 36. A more impressive feat for UNLV is that five of its six attackers, with at least one kill, hit above .258 in the match. Jessica Walters led the team with her .462 (six kills) and was closely followed by Samantha Noland's .400 (eight kills).
The Rebels were led by double-doubles by Maria Aladjova and Melody Nua. Aladjova recorded 11 kills and 11 digs for her 10th double-double of the season, while hitting in double-digits for the 18th time. Nua dished out a team-high 24 assists and dug out 12 Cowgirl attacks for her fifth double-double of the season. Kristen Koochi joined Nua in double-digits assists with 19 of her own.
There were four Rebels with double-digits in digs with Jada Walker leading the match with 24. Camille Cunningham had 11, as well as the 12 by Nua and 11 by Aladjova.
At the net, the Rebels blocked 12 shots. Samantha Noland notched the only solo block by a Rebel and assisted on five others. Erin Greenwood assisted on six blocks.
Great Eight: After 17 matches of play, UNLV sits at 13-5 in 2006. The Rebels hold a winning percentage of 72% and are eight-matches over .500. The last time in program history that a team was over .500 by eight or more matches came in 1998.
The 1998 squad began the year 6-3 prior to rattling off a program-best 10 match winning streak to go 13-matches above .500. They pushed the mark to +16 prior to a loss in the final match of the season to conclude the year at 23-8 (+15).
Three Games and Out: Since the volleyball program was brought back in 1996, the program's longest streak of consecutive 3-0 wins was three, which was achieved in 1997, 1999 (twice) and 2004. The 2006 Rebels eclipsed the three-match 3-0 mark and created a new one to beat at four straight. On Sept. 2, in Pullman, Wash., at the Baden Cougar Challenge, UNLV blanked UC Davis and Boise State. On Sept. 8-9, at the UNLV Invitational, the Rebels skunked UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge. The Rebels nearly made it a five-match streak until Xavier took game three after trailing UNLV 0-2.
On the year, the team has won eight of its 13 matches in 3-0 fashion. The most 3-0 sweeps in any give season came in 1998 when the squad won 12.
What Comes After Four: Through the first four matches of 2006, the Rebels were 2-2. Since the loss to Washington State on Sept. 1 to even the record at 2-2 the team has won 11 of its 14 matches. In the 14-match stretch there are winning streaks of six (the third longest in program history) and a current four-match run.
Saturday is Quite Alright: Saturdays have been good to the Rebels this season as the squad sits 9-1 on the day this season. The Rebels were 7-0 prior to its lone Saturday loss to #16 BYU, but got back on track with two wins on Saturday since (at New Mexico and at home against Wyoming). UNLV sits 4-4 for the rest of the week.
