Sept. 2, 2008
LAS VEGAS -
Week Two Release in PDF Format 
First Serve: After opening up the 2008 campaign on the road in Tempe, Ariz., in Arizona State's Sheraton Classic, UNLV returns to Las Vegas for its own four-team tournament this weekend, Sept. 5-6. The Rebels welcome #10 Wisconsin, Cal State Fullerton and Miami (Ohio) to the Cox Pavilion for the two-day event.
The tournament kicks off with Miami (Ohio) and Cal State Fullerton at 4:30 pm on Friday followed by UNLV's match against nationally-ranked Wisconsin at 7:00 pm. Saturday's schedule will feature four matches with each squad playing twice. Wisconsin and Miami (Ohio) have the early match (10:00 am) with UNLV-Cal State Fullerton following close behind at 12:00 pm. After a short break, Cal State Fullerton and Wisconsin serve it up at 4:30 pm with UNLV and Miami (Ohio) closing down the tournament at 7:00 pm.
Wisconsin enters the UNLV Invitational ranked 10th in the latest CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Top 25 Poll. The Badgers went 26-5 in 2007 and have started this season off well going 3-0 in Lexington, Ky., at the Kentucky Classic. UW swept all three of its opponents (Western Carolina, Pittsburgh and Kentucky). Wisconsin finished 2007 second in the Big Ten Conference and was picked to close out 2008 in the third spot behind Penn State, the reigning national champion and Minnesota. In the all-time series, UW holds a 1-0 edge over UNLV with a 3-0 victory on Sept. 1, 2000, in Gainesville, Fla.
Cal State Fullerton enters this weekend's tournament with a 2-1 record after a runner-up finish in its Radisson Suites Buena Park Volleyball Classic played this past weekend. The Titans defeated Delaware and UNC Greensboro before succumbing to Pepperdine in the championship match. The Titans 2-1 start is a good sign for a team that went 15-15 in 2007. Fullerton was tabbed to finish sixth in the hotly contested Big West Conference. In the all-time series, UNLV holds a slight 3-2 lead. The teams held two-match winning streaks with UNLV taking both meetings in 1985, while Fullerton did the same in 1996. The most recent meeting came in 2003 when the Rebels won 3-0 on Sept. 6, in Las Vegas.
Miami (Ohio) comes to Las Vegas with a 1-2 record after hosting the Best Western Classic last weekend. MU lost two straight matches to Saint Louis before defeating Stephen F. Austin to close out the classic. The RedHawks, who finished 2nd in the Mid-American Conference before winning the conference tournament championship, were selected to win the eastern half of the league in 2008. This will be the first meeting between the Rebels and RedHawks.
On The Sidelines: Following the conclusion of the UNLV Invitational, the Rebels will pack their bags and head to the Pacific Northwest for the two-day Oregon Classic in Eugene, Ore. The 13th ranked Oregon Ducks will play host to UNLV, Baylor and Eastern Washington. Oregon sits 2-1 after the first weekend of play, while Baylor is 2-0 and Eastern Washington is 1-2.
Weekly Rewind: UNLV participated in the 2008 ASU Sheraton Classic in Tempe, Ariz., last weekend (Aug. 29-30) and came back to Las Vegas with a 1-2 record. The Rebels dropped its first match against the Dayton Flyer, 3-1, on Friday morning before rebounding against the host Arizona State Sun Devils, 3-1, later that evening. UNLV and the South Carolina Gamecocks went the distance in their match Saturday morning. Unfortunately, USC got the best of the Rebels with a 3-2 victory.
vs. Dayton: The Rebels jumped out early on the Flyers with a quick 1-0 lead, but that was the only set UNLV would take en route to losing 3-1. After hitting .171 in the first set, DU rebounded with a .333 and a .293 in its following two frames to take a 2-1 lead. UNLV out-hit the Flyer in the fourth set (.200-to-.182), but was unsuccessful in evening the score.
UNLV was led by double-doubles by Melody Nua (43 assists, 10 digs) and Samantha Richard (10 kills, 12 digs). Jessica Walters was the top attacker with 17 kills, while hitting .294. Camille Cunningham led the team in digs with 23.
at Arizona State: For the second straight match UNLV jumped out to a 1-0 lead and then let its opponent even up the score before intermission. The Rebels did not suffer the same consequences as in its first match, as UNLV managed to swipe sets three and four from the home team. UNLV out-hit ASU .258-to.194, while throwing down eight more kills.
UNLV was led by Walters and Erin Greenwood, who contributed 41 of the team's 61 kills. Walters amassed a career- and match-high 27 kills en route to hitting .404 for the match. Greenwood chipped in 13 kills and a .344 hitting efficiency. Nua assisted on 51 of UNLV's 57 kills. Cunningham stopped a career-high 33 digs.
vs. South Carolina: UNLV kept its streak alive in the third and final match of the tournament by winning the first set and dropping the second against the Gamecocks. Overall, the teams alternated wins between sets one through four. After tying the match up at 2-2, USC went on a tear and won by a 15-8 tally in the fifth. The Gamecocks fifth-set win was helped greatly by the offense's .550 hitting in the final stanza.
Nua was the only Rebel to record a double-double, as she combined 50 assists with 11 digs for the achievement. Greenwood took top-hitting honors for the Rebels with 20 kills. Walters tossed in 16 of her own, while Samantha Noland contributed 14. Noland led the team in hitting with her .483 figure. Cunningham led the team, once again, in digs with 24.
Junior Achievement: Jessica Walters collected 60 kills and a .278 hitting efficiency through three matches at last weekend's ASU Sheraton Classic. Walters was the only Rebel to be tabbed to the all-tournament team.
Overall, she racked up no less than 16 kills in each match with a career-high 27 coming in a victory over Arizona State. Walter's previous high was 22 notched against Loyola Marymount last season.
A Pleasent Melody: Melody Nua hit double-digits in assists in all three of UNLV's matches in the ASU Sheraton Classic this past weekend. Nua has hit the 10+ mark in 92 of 93 career matches. Overall, she dished out 144 helpers to average 11.08 per-game. Her highest total came against Arizona State, in which she collected 51.
Besides racking up double-digits in assists, she managed to record 10+ digs twice in Tempe. She wound up tallying two double-doubles (Dayton & South Carolina) to give her 29 in her career.
With her 144 helpers this past weekend she inched closer to the top spot in the UNLV career record book for assists. Currently, she owns 3,893 and needs 369 to surpass Nicki King's 4,261 (2001-04) for the top spot. She already owns the 2nd, 3rd and 8th-best single-season assist tallies in school history.
Going Green: Erin Greenwood made her presence known at the end of the 2007 season as a nice combination with Lauren Miramontes (2003-07). With Miramontes' graduation, Greenwood is now the main threat in the middle.
Through the first weekend of her third season, she sits in the top-10 of two UNLV career blocking records. Currently, she is eighth in assisted blocks and ninth in solo blocks, while sitting on the cusp of cracking the total blocks category.
Besides her efforts as a blocker, she has managed to do well as an attacker. At the ASU Sheraton Classic, she topped all Rebels with her .352 hitting efficiency, while finishing second in kills (44) and kills-per-game (3.38). She began the tournament with 11 kills against Dayton and improved to 13 at Arizona State before leading the team with 20 vs. South Carolina.
Sam I Am: After growing up in Las Vegas, Samantha Richard began her collegiate volleyball career in Salt Lake City at Salt Lake Community College. After a stellar career at SLCC, Richard chose to come back to Las Vegas and close out the final two years of her eligibility at UNLV.
She made her presence felt in her first match as a Rebel when she collected her first double-double. She combined 10 kills with 12 digs for the feat. Overall, she notched 23 kills and 37 digs during the ASU Sheraton Classic.
Just Another Cunningham In A Rebel Uni: Camille Cunningham shares the same last name (but no relation) with a former UNLV all-time great...Randall Cunningham. Randall was inducted into the UNLV Hall of Fame in 1996 after his accomplishments on the gridiron, while Camille has spent her time on the court and has slowly worked her way into the record books (5th in career digs with 810).
After spending the past three years as a defensive specialist, she has taken over the libero jersey for the 2008 season. Thus far, she has been doing well, as she recorded 80 digs for a per-game average of 6.15. She smashed her career-high in digs with the 33 she tallied against Arizona State this past weekend at the ASU Sheraton Classic.
Not only does she stop opponents' attacks, but she manages to produce offensively for UNLV, as well. This past weekend, she served up eight aces, which included a career-high four against South Carolina. Also, she assisted on six kills.
Keeley Hits Milestones: By defeating Arizona State last Friday (Aug. 29) in the ASU Sheraton Classic, UNLV head coach Allison Keeley reached two significant milestones in her coaching career. The 3-1 victory gave Keeley her 150th collegiate victory, as well as, her 75th as a Rebel.
Keeley began her college coaching career at Southern Arkansas University in 1998. She spent three seasons at SAU (NCAA Div. II) before moving to Villanova University in 2001. Keeley came to UNLV with 75 career victories and has doubled that thus far in her five-year run at the helm of the Rebels.
