Oct. 30, 2007

LAS VEGAS -

Weekly Release #11 in PDF Format

First Serve: The UNLV Rebels (17-3 overall, 8-2 MWC) hit the road this weekend with matches at Air Force (Nov. 1, 6:00 pm PT) and at Wyoming (Nov. 3, Noon PT). The Rebels, who are ranked #26 this week, ride a six-match winning streak into their matches after defeating then-#18 Colorado State in their only action last week. UNLV is 9-2 away from the friendly confines of the Cox Pavilion and 5-2 in true road matches.

Week 11 Opponents:

Air Force Falcons: 7-19 overall, 0-12 MWC

~ UNLV leads the all-time series with a 21-2 record and has won 16 of 17 in MWC play.

~ The Falcons are led by Katie Batchelder's 219 kills (2.65 kpg), Kim Kallabis' 589 assists (7.18 apg), Caroline Kurtz's 184 digs (2.39 dpg) and Nichole Stilwell's 62 blocks (0.74 bpg).

Wyoming Cowgirls: 10-11 overall, 4-8 MWC

~ UNLV leads the all-time series 14-11 and has won 12 of 18 in MWC play.

~ The Cowgirls are led by Rachel Smith's 368 kills (4.60 kpg), Tasha Weishahn's 913 assists (12.51 apg), Carissa Lee's 324 digs (4.05 dpg) and Lauren Scott's 63 blocks (0.91 bpg).

Miramontes Shares Weekly Conference Honor: UNLV senior middle blocker Lauren Miramontes and Utah junior middle hitter Lori Baird were named Mountain West Conference Co-Volleyball Players of the Week. This is the second weekly honor for Miramontes this season (third of her career) and the second career award for Baird.

Miramontes, an Upland, Calif., native, led UNLV to an upset victory over then-No. 18 Colorado State last week. She had match-highs in kills (15) and blocks (a career-best seven), while hitting .414 for the match. Miramontes had only three hitting errors in 29 attempts, while also notching three digs and one service ace in the Rebels' sweep.

Rebels In The Poll: The Rebels moved up to 26th in the latest CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll released Monday, Oct. 29. This is the second time this season that UNLV has been 26th, as they sit eight points behind Wichita State at #25 (112 points to 104). On Sept. 17, the Rebels entered the poll at 26th following their wins over then-#12 BYU and Utah.

Since entering the poll at #26 on Sept. 17, the squad has bounced around the "receiving votes" category. They fell to 31st on Sept. 24 after going 1-1 that week. They dropped two spots to 33rd (Oct. 1) after a loss at Colorado State. Even though they defeated Wyoming and Air Force the team slid to 35th on Oct. 8. Two wins on the road weren't enough, as the team was knocked down one more spot to 36th on Oct. 15. A win over San Diego State pushed the Rebels up to 31st in last week's poll (Oct. 22).

Rebels' RKPI Ranks 14th: In the latest Nitty Gritty Report produced by RichKern.com, the Rebels own the 14th-best RKPI in the country. After sitting at #22 the past two weeks, a win over Colorado State improved the Rebels' standing.

This is the highest RKPI for UNLV since they were sixth on Sept 17, following its wins over BYU and Utah. Unfortunately, the Rebels slid to 15th (Sept. 24), then to 20th (Oct. 1), then to 28th (Oct. 8). The past two weeks they were 22nd.

The Start: After playing in 20 contests and three tournaments, UNLV owns a 17-3 record and three tournament titles. The 17-3 record is the best record through 20 matches in the program's history.

Included in 2007's 17 victories are two winning streaks. The first was a nine-match winning streak that lasted from Aug. 25 (Virginia) to Sept. 15 (Utah) and ranks as the second longest in program history. Currently, the team is riding a six-match streak that began on Oct. 4 (Wyoming).

A First For Everything: With wins over then-#12 BYU and Utah in September and a win over then-#18 Colorado State last week, the Rebels have won matches against the "Big 3" in the Mountain West Conference for the first time in the same season in the program's history.

It is then safe to say, it is also the first time that UNLV has defeated all three at home in the Cox Pavilion.

Nationally Speaking - Team: The UNLV volleyball team ranks nationally in per-game statistics in hitting percentage, assists, digs and kills, as well as sitting tied for the 16th-best winning percentage (85%). The statistics are compiled through Oct. 28.

~ Hitting: UNLV ranks 40th with an average of .247. Nebraska leads with a .331.

~ Assists: UNLV ranks 11th with an average of 15.58 apg. Nebraska leads with a 16.82 apg.

~ Digs: UNLV ranks 6th with an average of 19.73 dpg. Chattanooga leads with a 23.15 dpg.

~ Kills: UNLV ranks 12th with an average of 16.87 kpg. Nebraska leads with a 18.30 kpg.

Nationally Speaking - Individual: The UNLV volleyball team has four players rank nationally in individual per-game statistics in assists, digs and kills. The statistics are compiled through Oct. 14.

~ Assists: Melody Nua ranks 14th with an average of 13.25 apg.

~ Digs: Jada Walker ranks 12th with an average of 5.96 dpg.

~ Kills: Maria Aladjova ranks 48th with an average of 4.53 kpg.

~ Kills: Lauren Miramontes ranks 74th with an average of 4.34 kpg.