Aug 28, 2013
2013 UNLV Invitational Tournament Page
2013 UNLV Volleyball Weekly Notes - Week One
UNLV Tickets
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The Rebels open up the 2013 season at home with three matches in their own UNLV Invitational this weekend. The Scarlet & Gray will welcome Cal State Fullerton, Kansas State and Portland to Las Vegas and the Cox Pavilion for the tournament.
The two-day event is broken down into three sessions with UNLV playing the second match in each.
UNLV will take the court once on Friday evening at 6:00 pm before squaring off against Portland on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 pm and then Kansas State later that night at 7:00 pm.
UNLV INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, Aug. 3004:00 pm Portland vs. Kansas State06:00 pm UNLV vs. Cal State Fullerton
Saturday, Aug. 3110:00 am Kansas State vs. Cal State Fullerton12:00 pm UNLV vs. Portland05:00 pm Cal State Fullerton vs. Portland07:00 pm UNLV vs. Kansas State
*The team listed first has been designated as the home team and will occupy the left bench.
*A dedicated tournament page has been created and be found in the "More Links" section on the volleyball page at UNLVRebels.com.
UNLV PICKED THIRD: The UNLV volleyball team was predicted to finish the 2013 season in third place according to the Mountain West's Preseason Poll.
Dating back to the MW's inaugural year of 1999, the Rebels had never been selected to finish higher than fourth place in any season.
San Diego State, who earned a share of the 2012 conference title, unseated Colorado State from the top spot in the poll that was voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. Dating back to 2010, CSU had been chosen to finish first overall for three consecutive years.
After SDSU and CSU, the third through sixth slots are separated by a mere five points. UNLV is third with 70 points, while newcomer Utah State is fourth with 68. New Mexico and Fresno State are distanced by the slimmest of margins - one point - in fifth (66) and sixth (65), respectively. Boise State comes in seventh (51), while Wyoming (37), San Jose State (27), Air Force (17) and Nevada, Reno (15) round out the poll.
WESTMAN MAKES TEAM: Besides voting on the preseason poll, the Mountain West's nine head coaches also chose seven individuals for the league's preseason team.
UNLV's Madeline Westman was the Rebels lone representative on a squad comprised of two members from both New Mexico and San Diego State. Colorado State and Fresno State had one representative apiece on the team.
Westman, a two-time all-conference selection, enters her senior year ranked second in both total blocks and assisted blocks in the program's record book. She is also sixth in total blocks and fifth in hitting efficiency.
Besides Westman, the other members of the 2013 All-MW Preseason Team are: Deedra Foss (CSU), Korrin Wild (FS), Chantale Riddle (UNM), Raegan Shelton (SDSU), Johnna Fouch (SDSU) and Miquella Lovato (UNM).
Fouch was chosen as the MW's Preseason Player of the Year after helping the Aztecs earn a berth in last year's NCAA Tournament and a share of the 2012 league title.
THREE AWAY FROM 300: The UNLV volleyball program concluded the 2012 season with a 3-0 victory over the Air Force Falcons. That win was the 297th in Rebel history dating back to 1978 and 22 seasons of volleyball.
The first win came in 1978 against Snow College in five sets. The 100th victory - by a 3-0 score - was at home versus the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Nov. 6, 1998. The 200th came on the road in sweeping fashion (3-0) at Air Force on Oct. 14, 2006.
Overall, the volleyball program's record is 297-317-2.
SCOUTING THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS
Cal State Fullerton Titans: Cal State Fullerton was picked seventh in the Big West this year after a 2012 campaign that saw the Titans finish 15-16 overall and tied for fifth in conference play with a 9-9 mark. Fullerton returns four starters to the court from last year's squad.
Head-To-Head Overall Record: Series is tied 4-4.
Head-To-Head Record in Las Vegas: UNLV leads the series 3-2.
Last Meeting: Cal State Fullerton won 3-0 on September 11, 2010, in Las Vegas.
Kansas State Wildcats: Kansas State enters the 2013 season receiving votes in the AVCA Division I Top 25 Preseason Poll (32nd). The Wildcats, a 2012 NCAA Tournament participant, were picked fourth in the Big 12 this year after a campaign that saw K-State finish 21-9 overall and fifth in conference play with an 8-8 mark last season. K-State returns four starters to the court from last year's squad.
Head-To-Head Overall Record: The Aug. 31 match will be the first meeting between the teams.
Portland Pilots: Portland was picked 10th in the West Coast Conference this year after a 2012 campaign that saw the Pilots finish 7-23 overall and tied for eighth in league play with a 1-15 mark. Portland returns four starters to the court from last year's squad.
Head-To-Head Overall Record: Portland leads the series 1-0.
Head-To-Head Record in Las Vegas: The Aug. 31 match will be the first meeting in Las Vegas.
Last Meeting: Portland won 3-2 on September 1, 2012, in Portland.
