Sept. 14, 2006

LAS VEGAS -

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First Serve: Following their 3-2 win on Wednesday night to open Mountain West Conference play, the Rebels travel to California this weekend for two non-conference road matches. UNLV takes with them an 8-2 overall mark and a streak of six straight wins into the Golden State. First up for UNLV is a match against the Long Beach State 49ers (7-2) on Friday evening. The Rebels then travel to UC Riverside (1-9) for a Saturday matinee.

Scouting The Opponents:

Long Beach State 49ers:  7-2

Team Leaders: Quincey Verdin/Alexis Crimes: Kills (90) & KPG (3.28/3.05, respectively) Nicole Vargas: Assists (315) & APG (11.70) Iris Murray: Digs (122) & DPG (3.94) Alexis Crimes: Blocks (43) & BPG (1.39)

~UNLV trails the series 2-4. Last meeting - Sept. 10, 2005: LBSU won 3-2.

UC Riverside Bears: 1-9 2005 Overall/Conference: 5-7/12-2 (1st)

Team Leaders: Ashley Halperin: Kills (135) & KPG (3.75) Brittney Murray: Assists (319) & APG (9.38) Ashley Halperin: Digs (112) & DPG (3.11) Angie Mitchell: Blocks (41) & BPG (1.14)

~The series is tied at 1-1. Last meeting - Aug. 30, 2002: UNLV won 3-0.

UNLV/San Diego State Revisited: On Wednesday night, the UNLV Rebels disposed of the San Diego State Aztecs in five games, 3-2. After falling behind 1-0, the Rebels reeled off two straight wins for a 2-1 advantage. The Aztecs evened the score at 2-2 with a game-four win, but dropped the decisive fifth frame and the match to the Rebels. UNLV won the match with scores of 25-30, 30-21, 30-22, 28-30, 15-10.

The win pushes UNLV's winning streak to six matches, the longest since a seven-match streak in 1999. This current streak ranks as the third longest. And it gives UNLV a winning streak of six matches in the SDSU series, as well.

Winner, Winner...Chicken Dinner: Since winning the their final two matches on Sept. 2 at the Baden Cougar Challenge, the Rebels held onto their winning ways for four more matches. The Rebels won three straight in the UNLV Invitational to take first-place in the tournament and then won Wednesday night against San Diego State. The winning streak sits at six heading into this weekend's matches at Long Beach State and UC Riverside.

Since the volleyball program was brought back in 1996, this current six-match streak sits as the third-longest in the past 11 years and is the longest since the seven in a row won to open up the 1999 season. Those seven come in at #2, while in 1998 the team won a program-best 10 straight in 1998.

This year's squad won the six by scores of 3-0 (four times), 3-1 (once) and 3-2 (once).

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.

Best Of Ten: By winning Wednesday night's match against San Diego State, the Rebels set program history by going 8-2 in their first 10 matches. The 8-2 mark has greatly been helped by the current six-match winning streak that the Rebels are riding. Prior to 2006, the best start is program history was 7-3, which was achieved in 1997 and 1999. This year's Rebels sat in similar positions as the `97 and `99 squads at 7-2 through nine, but the 2006 edition won the 10th unlike the previous two.