2015 UNLV Volleyball Weekly Notes - Week Four

Sun Devil Invitational (Video/Stats Links)

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV Rebels close out their 2015 non-conference schedule this weekend with a trip to Tempe, Ariz., for Arizona State's Sun Devil Invitational (Sept. 18-19). UNLV hits the road riding its second three-match winning streak thanks its performance at last week's Rebel Challenge, which saw the Scarlet & Gray knock off Southeastern Louisiana, Portland State and Oral Roberts.

The Rebels will face a pair of top-10 foes in their first two matches - #10 Arizona State at 12:00 pm Friday and #6 Illinois at 10:00 am Saturday - before it closes out the two-day tournament with Texas Southern at 5:00 pm Saturday.

SUN DEVIL INVITE SCHEDULE

Friday, Sept. 11
10:00 am Texas Southern vs. #6 Illinois
12:00 pm #10 Arizona State vs. UNLV

Saturday, Sept. 12
10:00 am UNLV vs. #6 Illinois
12:00 pm #10 Arizona State vs. Texas Southern
05:00 pm UNLV vs. Texas Southern
07:00 pm #10 Arizona State vs. #6 Illinois

*All matches are listed in Pacific Time.

FOLLOWING ALONG: All six matches of Arizona State's Sun Devil Invitational will be live streamed and have live stats available. Links to UNLV's three contests can be found at UNLVRebels.com, while TheSunDevils.com will be home to all six events (click on the volleyball schedule).

TOP-10 SHOWDOWNS IN THE DESERT: The UNLV Rebels will face two top-10 teams - #10 Arizona State and #6 Illinois - at this weekend's Sun Devil Invitational in Tempe, Ariz. Dating back to the rebirth of the program in 1996, UNLV is 1-22 in meeting with top-10 competition. The Rebels' lone victory, 3-1 on Nov. 1, 2014, came in their final meeting with then-#7 Colorado State.

The bouts with Arizona State and Illinois will be the first that UNLV has played consecutively against top-10 competition. Additionally, it marks the shortest gap the Rebels have had in playing teams of this caliber, as it surpasses 2009's encounters with #8 Florida (Aug. 28/road) and #9 UCLA (Sept. 4/home) separated by a match with Valparaiso (Aug. 29/neutral).

This is the ninth season that UNLV has played a minimum of two top-10 opponents in a given season. The Rebels played three one year ago (at #5 Washington - Sept. 12; at #7 Colorado State - Oct. 2 and #7 Colorado State - Nov. 1).

THE NUMBERS ARE IN: With three weeks of volleyball in the books, the NCAA released its Monday, Sept. 14, and the UNLV Rebels rank in the top 100 four times as a team and three of its own are listed in two categories apiece.

UNLV sits 14th overall in blocks per set (2.90), 20th in team total blocks (98.5), 37th in hitting percentage (.264) and 88th in winning percentage (.667).

Ashley Owens and Bree Hammel have placed their names in both the blocks per set and total blocks categories. Owens is 11th in blocks per set (1.53) and 32nd in total blocks (46), while Hammel is 81st (1.21) and 67th (41) in the same two.

Alexis Patterson is 81st in both assists per set (10.03) and total assists (341).

HOME SWEET HOME: The UNLV Rebels have played six of their nine matches this season at home in the Cox Pavilion with all six going in the book as victories. Dating back to the finale of the 2014 campaign - a 3-1 win over San Diego State (Nov. 25), UNLV has won seven straight.

Additionally, the Rebels have been victorious in 10 of their last 11 home contests with the lone blemish being a 3-1 loss to Boise State (Nov. 22, 2014).

The program record for consecutive home wins was achieved in 2007 with 12.