Oct. 3, 2006
LAS VEGAS -
Weekly Release Seven in PDF Format
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First Serve: The Rebels have one home match on the docket this week with Saturday's 7 pm contest against Wyoming scheduled in the Cox Pavilion. UNLV enters the match riding a three-match winning streak and a 12-5 overall record. In Mountain West Conference play the team sits 3-2 following its two wins on the road at TCU and New Mexico this past weekend. The Cowgirls sit at 8-6 overall and 2-2 in league action prior to their match at San Diego State on Thursday.
Scouting the Opponent:
Wyoming Cowgirls (record as of 10-2-06): 8-6 Overall / 2-2 MWC2005 Overall/Conference: 12-16 Overall / 7-9 (6th)
Team Leaders:
Rachel Smith - Kills (218) & KPG (4.11)Tasha Weishahn - Assists (557) & APG (10.71)Micah Lines - Digs (190) & DPG (3.80)Lauren Scott - Blocks (40) & BPG (0.80)
~UNLV leads the series 11-10, which includes five wins in the last six matches.
~Last meeting: Wyoming won 3-1 in Laramie on Nov. 5, 2005.
UNLV at TCU & New Mexico Revisited: Against TCU - UNLV out hit TCU .273 to .120, while the attackers racked up eight more kills (50-to-42), as well. The Rebels hit no worse than .250 in any of the three games, while knocking down a .333 in the first frame. The remaining two games registered identical .250s. TCU, on the other hand, hit its best tally in the second (.167), but hit .108 in the first and .083 in the third.
The Rebels were led in kills by Maria Aladjova for the ninth time this season, which includes seven straight matches. Aladjova was one of three Rebels with 10 or more kills, as she had 14. Brittani Lumsden had 12 and was closely followed by Erin Greenwood's 10. Michelle Banks notched eight kills and a match-high .583 hitting percentage.
For the second consecutive match Kristin Koochi was atop the team's assist lead. Koochi dished out 16 helpers for her teammates, but saw Melody Nua equal her total, as well. Jada Walker led the all defensive players with 14 digs, while Camille Cunningham had 13.
Against New Mexico - UNLV and UNM's offensive numbers were close as the Rebels led in hitting .195 to .191 and kills 72-to-71. All but one game went to the squad with the higher per-game hitting percentage and that was UNLV's win in game three (.098 to .156). UNLV used a .321 hitting percentage in game two to even the match at 1-1 and used a game-high .353 in the fifth to take the win compared to UNM's -.053.
The Rebels were led by double-doubles from Maria Aladjova and Brittani Lumsden. Both players threw down 21 kills apiece, while Aladjova chipped in 10 digs to Lumsden's 11. On the year, Aladjova has nine double-doubles, while Lumsden has four. Erin Greenwood helped out the Rebel offensive with 15 kills and her match-high .500 hitting percentage.
Melody Nua and Kristin Koochi split assisting duties, once again. Nua dished out 33 helpers, while Koochi was close behind with 30. Jada Walker was one of four Rebels with 10 or more digs for UNLV. Walker led the match with 22 and was joined by Camille Cunnigham's 12 and those by Aladjova and Lumsden.
Lucky Number Seven: After 17 matches of play, UNLV sits at 12-5 in 2006. The Rebels hold a winning percentage of 71% and are five-matches over .500. The last time in program history that a team was over .500 by seven or more matches came in back-to-back seasons (1998 & 1999).
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).
In `99, the team opened up the season 7-0, but dropped 14 of its final 19 to finish at 12-14. The 1998 squad, on the other hand, ranks as the winningest team since the program was brought back in 1996.
