2014 VB Weekly Notes - Week 9

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV Rebels remain on the road for two Mountain West contests this week in the Golden State. UNLV, who defeated San José State and Nevada, Reno in sweeping fashion last Thursday and Saturday, respectively, will wrap up its run of three matches in a five-day span with Monday's tussle with the San Diego State Aztecs at 6:00 pm.

Following the SDSU affair at Aztec Court, the Rebels will have four days to prepare for Saturday's bout (4:00 pm) with the Fresno State Bulldogs. The FS tilt will be the ninth for UNLV in MW play and it'll signify the conclusion of the first half of the 18-match conference schedule.

FOLLOW THE STREAM: The UNLV Rebels will have both of their road matches this week streamed live by the host schools in conjunction with the Mountain West Network. Besides the video, fans can access live statistics with links for both available at UNLVRebels.com.

ON THE SIDELINES: The UNLV Rebels will spend one more week on the road before they head back to Las Vegas and the Cox Pavilion for return engagements from their Front Range foes. UNLV will open up the two-match homestand against the Wyoming Cowgirls on Oct. 30 (6:00 pm) and follow it up with a visit from the #6 Colorado State Rams on Nov. 1 (7:00 pm).

OFF TO A ROUSING START: The UNLV Rebels had equaled the best start in program history through 16 matches until they suffered a pair of road losses to #7 Colorado State and Wyoming. The 2014 edition stood toe-to-toe with the 2007 Mountain West Championship squad prior to the setbacks.

UNLV sits 17-5, which equates to the second-best display through 22 matches. That mark is nestled between the 19-3 and 16-6 efforts by the 2007 and 1998 teams, respectively. The 17 W's are also the fourth-most in program history, and they trail 23 in 1984, 20 in 2006 and 18 in 2012.

After starting the season 2-2 through the first two days of their own tournament, the Rebels rattled off 15 more wins in 18 matches. The victorious run began with a sweep of UC Riverside on Aug. 31, which was followed by an 8-1 stretch in a trio of tournaments played in three different time zones.

The Scarlet & Gray pushed the winning trend to 11 wins in 12 tries with home W's over Southern Utah and Fresno State. That string of 11 victories were from a pair of winning streaks that numbered five and six matches.

Those previously mentioned losses along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains put a halt to the six-match winning streak, but they didn't hinder the Rebels for long. The team has strung together another winning stretch with victories over Air Force, New Mexico, San Jose State and Nevada, Reno to put four more notches in the left-hand column.

17 & UP CLUB: The UNLV Rebels are one of 25 volleyball programs in NCAA Division I to have cracked the 17-win barrier. UNLV, who sits at 17-5 on the year, and #6 Colorado State (18-1) are the only Mountain West squads to earn passage into the small, but highly distinguished club.

Western Kentucky, a team that UNLV swept in Las Vegas the opening weekend of the season, and Liberty sit atop the list with identical 20-5 records.

The Rebels have squared off against three more from the list with losses to CSU and #4 Washington (18-0) and a victory over Seton Hall (18-4). All three of these matches occurred on the road. Both CSU and UW have moved up in the rankings with the former ranked seventh to the latter's fifth when they met UNLV.