Sept. 11, 2014 2014 UNLV Volleyball Weekly Notes - Week Three
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV Rebels, who are coming off a successful 3-0 cross-country trip to New Jersey, will head to the Pacific Northwest this weekend for three matches at The Invitational in Seattle. UNLV will square off against co-hosts Seattle and #5 Washington Friday before it faces UC Davis one day later.
The tournament, which actually begins Thursday evening with a tilt between the two Emerald City foes, will be played at SU's Connolly Center and UW's Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
The Scarlet & Gray will open up at the Connolly Center against Seattle with an afternoon affair (1:00 pm) before venturing five miles north to the Alaska Airlines Arena for an evening tilt with nationally ranked UW at 7:00 pm.
Sunday's finale against UC Davis (1:00 pm) will take place at the Connolly Center.
THE INVITATIONAL IN SEATTLE
(UNLV's SCHEDULE ONLY)FRIDAY, SEPT. 1201:00 pm UNLV at Seattle^07:00 pm UNLV at #5 Washington%
Saturday, SEPT. 1301:00 pm UNLV vs. UC Davis^
^ Match played at Seattle's Connolly Center.% Match played at UW's Alaska Airlines Arena.
*All match times listed in Pacific Time.
*Live stats for all of UNLV's matches can be found at UNLVRebels.com.
*UNLV's matches against Seattle & UC Davis will also feature live video, which can be found at UNLVRebels.com.
BLOCKING TO THE TOP: On Monday, the NCAA released its first national statistical rankings of 2014 and the Scarlet & Gray sits atop the team total blocks category (95.0), while coming in third in blocks per set (3.28).
Those two blocking figures can be greatly attributed to the play of Bree Hammel, Katlin Winters and Ceannia Kincade at the net. That trio has worked itself into the top 55 in the nation in total blocks. Hammel ranks first in total blocks (48) and 11th in blocks per set (1.66). Winters joined Hammel in both of those categories, as she is #16 in total blocks (35) and #94 in blocks per set (1.21). Kincade rounds out the group at #55 in total blocks (29).
NCAA STATISTICS ... CONTINUED: Not only did the UNLV Rebels post impressive figures in various team and individual blocking categories in Monday's NCAA's national statistical rankings, but they also ranked highly in digs, assists and kills.
On the defensive side of the net, Allison Davies, who has helped UNLV to the 100th-best showing in digs per set (15.14), is 13th overall in total digs (138) and 48th in digs per set (4.76).
Offensively, the Rebels are fifth in the nation in team kills (391) and sixth in team assists (362). Dishing out more than 80 percent of those assists was Alexis Patterson, who sits seventh nationally in total assists (301) and 67th in assists per set (10.38).
COMPARISON SHOPPING: The UNLV Rebels are not the only program competing in The Invitational in Seattle that are listed as a team and also has individual members in the top 100 of various NCAA statistics.
Both Washington and Seattle enter the weekend ranked deadlocked in 45th in team total blocks. SU owns the edge over its crosstown rival in blocks per set with a seventh-place showing (3.13) compared to UW, who sits 27th (2.70).
UW's Lianna Sybeldon is 11th in total blocks (36) and 12th in blocks per set (1.64), while SU's Martina Samadan is 28th in the former category (32) and eighth in the latter (1.46). Samadan is also joined by teammate Alec Goodrie in blocks per set, as she is 28th (1.46).
Besides the blocking statistics, the Huskies are ranked first in winning percentage (1.000); fourth in hitting percentage (.359); 37th in kills per set (14.09); 38th in assists per set (13.05) and 98th in team assists (287).
The primary catalyst for UW's offense is Krista Vansant, who is ranked in the top 100 of four different categories. Vansant comes in as high as 29th in hitting percentage (.430). She is also 39th in kills per set (4.19); 52nd in points per set (4.55) and 84th in total kills (88).
The Redhawks, on the other hand, come in 33rd in aces per set (1.79) and 91st in team service aces (34).
