Sept. 24, 2010
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV Rebels (4-9, 1-0 MWC) snapped their five-match losing skid with a quick 3-0 victory over the Air Force Falcons (3-11, 0-1 MWC) Friday night from the Cox Pavilion in the Mountain West Conference opener for both squads. UNLV won by set scores of 25-15, 25-11, 25-16 and also pushed its winning streak in the head-to-head series to 22 straight.
UNLV out-hit Air Force by a .396 to .077 margin and tallied 21 more kills (46-to-25), seven less errors (10-to-17) and attempted 13 less swings (91-to-104). The Rebels hit no worse than .379 in any set, which was in the first, and topped out at .414 in the second. The Falcons, on the other hand, didn't crack the .100 barrier until the third frame with their .125 effort.
The Rebel offensive was led by a trio of attackers with 10 or more kills in the contest. Candice Thomas threw down a team-best 12 kills off of a match-high .579 hitting. Thomas only committed one error in 19 total attempts. Sara Nehf and Makenzie Moea'i followed closely behind with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Both hit well in the match, as Moea'i tallied a .556 to Nehf's .318.
Amanda Alles and Stephanie Thelen dished out 36 of UNLV's 41 assists in the match. Alles led all with 25 helpers to Thelen's 11.
Kela Lau Hee led the Rebel defense in the contest and registered a match-high 13 digs.
Air Force was paced offensively by 12 kills from Nichole Stillwell, who also led her squad in hitting with a .346 clip. Josalynn Wise led the Falcons in assists with 10, while Kelly Spencer was the top defensive player with nine digs.
The contest featured only five ties and one lead change. UNLV led from the get-go in both sets one and two. The third set saw Air Force jump out to a brief lead before the Rebels took control after snapping a 3-3 tie.
UNLV closes out its eight-match home stand next Monday night (Sept. 27) with a visit from in-state rival Nevada, Reno at 5:00 pm. The Rebels own an 11-7 edge in the head-to-head series, which includes victories in the last four meetings.
