Nov. 27, 2009
Final Stats
LONG BEACH, Calif. - The UNLV Rebels (8-18) dropped a hard-fought, four-set match to the Long Beach State 49ers (20-8) Friday night in the Walter Pyramid at the Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament by scores of 19-25, 21-25, 27-25, 23-25. After losing the first set, the Rebels battled through the final three frames to challenge the recently crowned Big West champions. UNLV was led by 14-kill efforts from both Kelsey Keeler and Cursty Jackson.
The 49ers out-hit UNLV .263 to .204, as both teams attempted 152 attacks in the match. LBSU managed to rack up eight more kills (61 to 53) and one less error (21 to 22) in the four-set contest. Both squads tallied their best hitting efforts in the first set, as the 49ers hit .344 to the Rebels' .312. LBSU maintained averages in the .200s the remainder of the match, while UNLV stayed in the .100s.
Besides tying for the team lead in kills, Keeler topped all Rebels in hitting with a .314 effort. She added seven digs, one assist and one assisted block.
Jackson, who was just recently named to the Mountain West's 2009 All-Conference team, owns 15 double-digit kill efforts with thanks to tonight's 14-kill tally. She also contributed six digs, three assisted blocks and one assist.
Sara Nehf rounded out a trio of Rebels with 10 or more kills, as she threw down 10 of her own on .227 hitting. Nehf dug out seven LBSU attacks, while adding two blocks (one solo) and one ace.
Leah Maurer pitched in a season-high eight kills and fell one dig shy of tying her career high in digs with eight.
Amanda Alles and Samantha Richard split the setting duties for UNLV. Alles collected 24 to Richard's 15. Alles set a career-high in blocks with four (one solo) and had two digs, as well. Richard also had five digs, one kill and one assisted block.
"Amanda and Leah came into the match in the third and fourth sets and changed the energy on the court," noted UNLV head coach Allison Keeley. "Kelsey and Cursty have been go to players for us all year and attacked the ball very aggressively."
Kela Lau Hee led the Rebels defensively with 12 digs, which gives her 17 matches in double figures this season.
The 49ers' Naomi Washington, the Big West's reigning Player of the Week, topped all hitters in kills with 24, while amassing a .360 hitting efficiency. She pitched two assisted blocks and one dig.
Ashley Lee and Caitlin Ledoux notched double-doubles in a winning effort. Lee combined 49 assists and 16 assists, both of which were match highs. Ledoux conjoined 19 kills and 12 digs to achieve the feat.
The 49ers jumped out from the get-go in the first frame only seeing UNLV tie things up twice with the last coming at the 4-4 juncture before running away with the set.
The second set played out much differently, as the teams tied things up nine times up to the 9-9 mark. LBSU then rattled off 12 of the next 17 points to claim a five-point cushion at 21-16. The Rebels then swung things their way with four consecutive points to pull within one at 21-20, but it wasn't enough as the 49ers scored four of the final five to claim a 2-0 lead.
UNLV came out of intermission riding the momentum built up during the second set and took the stanza by a 27-25 tally. The set featured 15 ties and seven lead changes. After five ties up to the 9-9 mark, UNLV ran to two different three-point leads at 12-9 and 13-10 before LBSU tied things up at 13-13. The set would witness nine more ties with the last coming at 25-25 with a kill by Erin Greenwood. The Rebels kept it going with a point off a block and an ace by Alles.
The fourth and final set had 14 ties and nine lead changes. The set was a close one as UNLV only had two two-point leads up to the 16-16 mark, while LBSU had only one. UNLV then won five of the next seven points for a 21-18 lead. The 49ers then scored three straight to bring about the first of three ties as the score hit 23-23. LBSU claimed the next two points for the win.
UNLV returns to action Saturday at 5:00 pm in the Walter Pyramid against Cal State Fullerton to close out the 2009 season.
