Sept. 21, 2009
LAS VEGAS -
Week Five Release in PDF Format 
First Serve: The UNLV Rebels (1-7 overall, 0-1 Mountain West) have a tough week ahead of them with three matches in a five-day period with the first at home and the other two on the road. The Rebels kick things off with a match vs. the Wyoming Cowgirls (8-5, 0-0) Tuesday evening in the Cox Pavilion. UNLV will then pack its bags and hit the road with matches at Air Force (8-6, 0-2) on Sept. 24 (7:00 pm MT/6:00 pm PT) and San Diego State (4-6, 0-2) on Sept. 26 (1:00 pm).
Scouting Wyoming: The Wyoming Cowgirls enter this week with an 8-5 overall record and were the only team in the Mountain West Conference to not play a league match this past weekend. Wyoming began the year 6-3 before going 2-2 last weekend split between Providence, R.I., and Durham, N.H.
UW is led offensively by Jodi Purdy's 174 and 3.48 kills per set. Barbara Lasic tops all Cowgirls in assists with 538 of the team's 581 for a 10.55 digs-per-set average.
Defensively, Jessica Kagarise is one of three Cowgirls to amass 114 or more digs on the year, as she owns the team-high with 200 (3.92 dps). UW has seven players with double-digits in blocks with JennaRae Jester's 53 (seven solo) leading the way.
Historically speaking, UNLV holds an 18-11 edge in the head-to-head series with Wyoming dating back to 1996. The Rebels have won the past six overall and nine consecutive in Las Vegas.
Scouting Air Force: The Air Force Falcons enter this week with an 8-6 overall record and sit 0-2 after their opening weekend in conference. The Falcons dropped back-to-back matches on the road to Utah and BYU.
The Falcons are led by Caroline Kurtz's 157 kills, 3.14 kills per set, 22 aces, 140 digs and 2.80 digs per set.
Jessica Hellmann leads the Falcons in assists with 420 for a 8.40 assists-per-set average.
Besides Kurtz's defensive efforts, Kelly Spencer has amassed 137 digs for a 2.74 set average. At the net, Michelle Harrington has stuffed 42 opponent attacks with 10 of them as solo blocks for a 0.88 set average.
Historically speaking, UNLV owns a 24-2 advantage in the head-to-head series dating back to 1996. The Rebels have won 19 consecutive over Air Force and all 13 meetings played in Las Vegas.
Scouting San Diego State: The San Diego State Aztecs enter the week with a 4-6 overall record and are 0-2 in MWC action. The Aztecs began the year 4-2, but have since dropped four straight, which includes a pair to Saint Mary's and one each to BYU and Utah.
SDSU is led by Lauren Salisbury's 106 kills, 2.72 kills-per-set average and 43 blocks (two solo).
Lauren Van Orden figures heavily in the Aztecs' statistics, as she leads the team in assists with 419 (10.74 aps), but also has contributed 18 kills, seven aces, 56 digs and 19 blocks (one solo).
Kristi Jackels leads the Aztecs' defense in digs with 177, which nearly triples her closest teammate.
Historically speaking, San Diego State owns a 16-12 lead in the head-to-head series dating back to 1985. The teams split the last four meetings with each winning at their respective homes arenas. SDSU owned a 6-2 advantage in games played in Las Vegas up until 2003, but has since witnessed UNLV rattle off six consecutive wins for an 8-2 edge.
On The Sidelines: After their three matches this week, the Rebels return home on Oct. 1 and 3 with contests against Utah and BYU, respectively. The Utah affair will be televised on The Mtn.-The MountainWest Sports Network at 6:30 pm.
This Week's Promotions:
Tuesday, September 22nd: "UNLV Employee Thank You Night!" (vs. Wyoming)
-The UNLV volleybal program would like to offer 2-for-1 tickets to all UNLV employees as they take on the Cowgirls of Wyoming
Season Long Promotions:
-Season Tickets are only $40.
-Regular adult tickets per game are $7.00 for adults.
-Kids 12 and under are FREE all season long.
-Students are FREE with Rebel Card!
-Get your high school volleyball team in for FREE! Just have your coach email the team roster to Rebecca.McDonald@unlv.edu or Elaini.Kollias@unlv.edu. Be sure to bring valid ID!
