Nov. 14, 2009
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV Rebels (8-15 overall, 5-9 Mountain West) knocked off the TCU Horned Frogs (23-6, 12-3) in sweeping fashion with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 26-24) decision Saturday afternoon on "Senior Day" from the Cox Pavilion. The Rebels snapped a two-match losing streak to the Horned Frogs and improved its head-to-head record to 9-3 in the all-time series. The loss ended an eight-match winning streak TCU brought to Las Vegas.
The Rebels out-hit the Horned Frogs by a .252 to .157 margin. TCU notched one more kill (43 to 42) in the match, but was hampered by recording seven more errors (21 to 14). The Rebels hit a staggering .457 in the first frame, while only amassing one error. They stayed in the .100s the final two sets with their .162 in the second and .154 in the third. TCU, on the other hand, hit its best in the first with a .227 showing followed by a .163 (second) and .111 (third).
"I was very impressed that we were able to comeback from such an intense five-set match we played last Thursday," said UNLV head coach Allison Keeley. "We played with a lot of intensity today and learned from our mistakes and won the match. It was a good win for our four seniors, who have been the heart and soul of this team for the past few years."
Samantha Richard closed out her home career with her sixth double-double of the season. Richard combined 28 assists and 14 digs for the feat, both numbers were team-highs. She pitched in four kills and two assisted blocks, as well.
Kelsey Keeler was the top hitter for UNLV with 13 kills to her credit, while hitting at a .303 clip. Keeler added seven digs, three assists and two assisted blocks.
"Kelsey is a work horse for us. She gets a lot of touches since she plays in the front and the back. She has gotten better every match. She has handled pressure well and is coming into her own."
Senior Erin Greenwood had nine kills on .240 hitting to follow Keeler's lead.
Sara Nehf netted eight kills on .333 hitting with four digs and one assist.
"Sara has been playing much smarter and consistently lately. She has made some great plays for us."
Cursty Jackson led the Rebels at the net with five blocks (two solo) and chipped in a career-high seven digs. Jackson collected seven kills and two aces.
Kela Lau Hee joined Richard in the double-figure dig category with 11 of her own.
TCU got a double-double from Irene Hester, who combined 12 kills and 12 digs. Hester also had two assists and one assisted block.
Christy Hudson racked up a match-high 14 kills on .440 hitting in a losing effort. Hudson also had two assisted blocks and one assist.
Megan Munce dished out a match-high 32 assists and added seven digs, five kills and one ace for the Horned Frogs.
Katelyn Blackwood topped all defensive players in digs with 15.
The Rebels will hit the road for the remainder of the season with four matches away from the friendly confines of the Cox Pavilion. UNLV will close out conference play next weekend a match at Wyoming on Thursday, Nov. 19 (7:00 pm MT/6:00 pm PT) and Colorado State on Saturday, Nov. 21 (1:00 pm MT/12:00 pm PT).
