Box Score

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV volleyball team (5-3) rallied from a two-set deficit for a 3-2, come-from-behind win over the Portland State Vikings (3-5) Friday evening at the Cox Pavilion. The comeback is the second in as many years for the Scarlet & Gray after it rallied to beat New Mexico (Nov. 6) in Albuquerque last season.

The win â€" by set scores of 22-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-15, 15-7 â€" was the second for the Scarlet & Gray on the first day of the Rebel Challenge, which included a 3-0 sweep of Southeastern Louisiana. The victory also pushed the Rebels home winning streak to six dating back to the 2014 finale (Nov. 25) against San Diego State. In fact, UNLV has won 10 of its last 11 at home.

"What a great comeback tonight," said UNLV head coach Cindy Fredrick. "I thought our blocking really turned things around. Bree (Hammel) and Ashley (Owens) put on a hitting and blocking show and Sadie (Stutzman) had another terrific match. It was good to see the toughness tonight from all of our players."

UNLV outhit PSU by 201 points (.367 to .166) with help from five straight sets of .318 or better hitting efficiencies, including a match-best .500 (14-2-24) in the third frame. In each of the five sets, the Rebels had between two to four errors against a range of 10 to 17 kills. The Vikings, on the other hand, opened up with a .412 showing, but followed it up, in succession, with a .118, .000, .294 and -.095 in the four other stanzas.

The Rebels registered six more kills (66-58) than the Vikings, while they committed 17 fewer errors (15-32) in 18 fewer attack attempts (139-157).

With the team holding an edge in hitting (.355 to .265) through the first two sets, UNLV's block was non-existent. The Rebels had only mustered two total team blocks before the intermission. Things changed for the better after the break, as UNLV's net presence was ramped up with no less than three total team blocks in each frame. They stuffed 4.5 attacks in the third, 5.0 in the fourth and 3.0 in the fifth and final set.

One of the main figures in the team's uprising at the net was Owens, who had a hand in nine (all assisted) of the Rebels' 12.5 total team blocks in the final three sets. Owens, who broke the program's record for assisted blocks in a single match with 13 last week against Green Bay, had four in the third, two in the fourth and three in the fifth. In addition, she had a career-high 16 kills off a .520 hitting efficiency (16-3-25).

Hammel added four total blocks (two solo) of her own to go along with 16 kills. She tallied a match-high .625 hitting efficiency (16-1-24) plus one assist.

Alexis Patterson recorded her 11th career double-double amassed off a career-high tying 57 assists and 10 digs. Patterson also hit .500 behind six kills in 12 swings and no errors.

Stutzman, who registered career highs in kills and attempts earlier in the day vs. Southeastern Louisiana, one-upped herself with 12 kills in 22 swings against the Vikings. She also chipped in a career-high two assists, career-high tying five blocks (all assisted) and five digs.

Ceannia Kincade fell one kill shy of a double-double with nine, while she had 11 digs, four assisted blocks and one assist.

Alyssa Wing, who had six kills, and Carly Riehl rounded out the Rebel quartet with 10 or more digs, as the former had 11 to the latter's 14. Both players had an ace in the match, while Wing added three total blocks (one solo).

UNLV returns to action Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, who went 1-1 Friday. ORU knocked off SLU, 3-1, in the day's 4:30 pm affair after it had lost earlier to PSU.