April 10, 2010

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV Rebels played their first four matches of the spring season at Utah Valley's Spring Tournament Saturday afternoon. The Rebels, who were participating without any middle blockers, played a seven-man roster, which gave the squad an opportunity to showcase their passing and defense.

"Winning matches in the fall will be a product of our ability to dig and transition when the opponent is in system," noted head coach Allison Keeley. "Playing without middle blockers was a fantastic training opportunity for our team. Our ability to compete and win games was a tribute to the team's work through the spring."

The team ran a high-ball offense to its outside attackers, Kelsey Keeler and Sara Nehf, who attacked aggressively against a consistent double block. Kela Lau Hee was the standout libero of the tournament, both as a passer and on the defensive end.

UNLV was grouped with Utah, Utah Valley and Utah State. The matches were only played to two sets before moving onto ranked action.

In their first matchup, the Rebels played Utah to a split, 25-23, 20-25.

Against Utah Valley, the squads mirrored each others' scores, 25-18, 18-25.

In the final round-robin match, Utah State won both by scores of 20-25, 23-25.

In their final match, the Rebels played Weber State and fell short 18-25, 20-25.