Box Score

FRESNO, Calif. (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV volleyball team (11-9 overall, 4-4 Mountain West) forced a decisive fifth frame against the Fresno State Bulldogs (12-10, 4-4 MW), but came out on the wrong end of a 3-2 decision at the Save Mart Center Tuesday evening. The host Bulldogs won the match 3-2 behind set scores of 25-23, 18-25, 30-28, 25-23, 15-8.

UNLV outhit FS by 21 points (.207 to .186) despite attempting 19 fewer attack attempts (169-188) and racking up 10 fewer errors (24-34); however, the latter threw down 10 more kills (69-59). The Rebels owned better hitting efficiencies in three of the first four sets, which included two that were won by the Bulldogs. The Scarlet & Gray topped out with a .353 showing in the second frame, but produced only a -.056 effort in the fifth. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, hit between .116 (second set) and .250 (third) in the first four stanzas before saving their best for last in the fifth â€" a .333 clip with only three errors.

The Rebel defense played a major role with it producing 17.5 total team blocks (one solo and 33 assisted) and 74 digs. Ashley Owens had a hand in 10 of the team's blocks with one solo and nine assisted putbacks. Bree Hammel, Ceannia Kincade and Alyssa Wing had six assisted blocks apiece, while Alexis Patterson and Sadie Stutzman each had three assisted stuffs.

"We outhit them and out blocked them, but in the fifth set we didn't come through," said head coach Cindy Fredrick. "We had too many unforced errors in critical times along with runs of errors."

Carly Riehl tallied 32 digs â€" a career- and match-high â€" for UNLV. Stutzman and Kincade also contributed 10-plus digs with 14 and 12, respectively. Wing was one shy of joining the trio with nine of her own.

Besides their defensive efforts, Hammel and Wing led the team offensively. The former had a match-best 18 kills, while the latter added 12 and three assists. Kincade, Stutzman and Owens chipped in with eight kills apiece.

Patterson had five kills to go along with a match-high 41 assists.

The Bulldogs got double-doubles from Zana Bowens (16 kills/18 digs) and Sabrina Winslow (12 kills/10 digs). Brooke Legaux (26 assists) and Jacque Hutcheson (22) split the setting duties, while Maggie Eppright led the 'Dogs in digs with 19.

The Rebels close out their four-match in an eight-day span with a trip to San Jose, Calif., against the San Jose State Spartans Thursday evening (6:00 pm). UNLV returns to Las Vegas following that tilt in the Bay Area with a pair of home affairs at the Cox Pavilion on Oct. 29 (Utah State) and Oct. 31 (Boise State) that will signal the start of the second half of the Conference season.

NOTES: UNLV's 33 assisted blocks are the second-most tallied by the team this season, and sit only behind the program-best 38 vs. Green Bay (Sept. 4) … In addition to the two aforementioned assisted block figures, UNLV also tallied 32 against San Jose State (Sept. 26).