LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - By Kaitlyn Millican- UNLV Athletic Communications Student Assistant

-- Forward Jodi Barber could not have envisioned her senior year starting off any better as she leads the UNLV Rebels in scoring with eight points off four goals, which also ranks her tied for seventh in the Mountain West. Barber has been a consistent starter for the Rebels since transferring after her sophomore year from Division III Barton College in North Carolina where she built quite a repertoire for herself. She was named a third team All-American, led the Conference Carolinas in total points and scored a league-high 16 goals. And if that was not enough she also had nine assists which had her tied for the top spot in conference play. Her talents earned her the impressive title of offensive player of the year for the conference. These accomplishments have continued to show during her time at UNLV, as in 2014 Barber made 14 starts out of 18 games played and would tally up four points.

Barber's astounding work on the field has earned her a lot of recognition since kicking off the 2015 season. She has already been named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week after a stout showing against non-conference opponents Hawaii and UTRGV, as she scored three goals and had an assist in the Rebels' two wins that weekend. Barber assisted on the game-winning goal against Hawai'i in a 3-1 victory, and also added an insurance goal. In the 4-1 win over UTRGV, she knocked in two goals to help UNLV go a perfect 2-0 for the weekend.

The Rebels are currently 5-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play after losing back-to-back match-ups against Air Force and Colorado College. However, the Rebels hopes are still high as there is still a lot of soccer to be played. On how the team plans to bounce back after the two losses, Barber responded "Although last weekend's games against Air Force and Colorado College didn't go the way we wanted them to, they were a huge learning experience for both the team and myself individually.

"We've gone back as a team and watched film with coach Shaw to see where our mistakes happened, and we are ready to fix them at training this week and get back on track this coming weekend." Barber has a positive outlook on the rest of the season. "I'm really excited to see where this year takes us as a team because there are good things in store for us. We have a great group of girls here that love the game and want to work hard to get us where we want to be" said Barber.

Head Coach Chris Shaw applauds Barber's leadership as she has contributed much to the team's efforts. He also states that Barber has been a consistent threat in offensive play for the Rebels and has acclimated well. "She has definitely undergone quite a change in competition. Last year it took her some time to acclimate to a higher level of play. But she has adjusted well and grown and matured as a player," noted Shaw.

The Rebels are set for action on the road this Friday as they take on the Aztecs of San Diego State at 7 pm. Barber says she is looking forward to playing and is highly anticipating positive results that will help boost her team's confidence as they continue to progress throughout the season . "San Diego State and New Mexico are coming up this weekend and we are excited. Both are good teams and it is really going to test us. After the bad taste left in our mouths from last weekend we are ready to get after it this week at practice and get two good results this weekend," Barber said.