Sept. 3, 2016
Box Score
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV volleyball team upped its overall record to 6-0 after it claimed the Rebel Challenge tournament title with a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 30-28, 25-19) of the CSUN Matadors (3-3) Saturday afternoon. The Scarlet & Gray used a season-high 14.0 total blocks -- primarily from Elsa Descamps, Bree Hammel and Ashley Owens -- to quell the Matadors' offensive attack and two-match win streak.
UNLV's perfect 6-0 start -- all at home -- to the 2016 campaign sits one win shy of 1999's program-best 7-0 mark.
The Rebels outhit CSUN by 131 points (.276 to .145) with only a slight edge in kills (47-45). The Matadors, which attempted 15 more swings (131-116), committed 11 more errors (26-15) in the bout that greatly influenced their hitting numbers. UNLV hit within a range of .233 (third set) and .298 (second) throughout the match, and made between four and six miscues in each set. CSUN, on the other hand, registered paltry efforts in both the first (.095) and third (.059), and had either nine or eight errors in any stanza.
Hammel, who was named MVP of the Rebel Challenge, registered a match-high 14 kills while hitting .323. On the defensive side of the net, the Las Vegas native and reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week had five digs and four assisted blocks.
Descamps and Owens were also selected to the Challenge's All-Tournament Team, and both tallied seven total blocks (one solo) in Saturday's victory. The former added seven kills, two assists and five digs to the latter's offering of six kills.
Sadie Stutzman joined Hammel in kill double figures, as she had 11 to go along with a .364 hitting efficiency.
The Rebel offense was paced by a match-high 39 assists from Alexis Patterson, who also chipped in eight digs and two assisted blocks.
Defensively, eight different Rebels had a minimum of five digs with eight each coming from Patterson and Carly Riehl. Alyssa Wing and Elisa Woinowsky had six apiece.
Once the Rebels broke free from 12-all and 15-all ties in the first and third set, respectively, they never relinquished the lead. The Matadors were able to work their way to three set-point opportunities; however, UNLV was able to squash each of them. The Rebels wound up getting their chance to close out the frame, but CSUN stayed alive and even forced another of its own set points. Fortunately, a kill by Descamps, an attacking error by CSUN's Melissa Eaglin and a set-clinching kill by Hammel were enough for the win.
The second stanza was a different story, as CSUN a seven-point advantage (22-15) quickly became a 23-all stalemate after an 8-1 run by UNLV.
CSUN got 14 kills from Aeryn Owns and 13 more from Julie Haake. Lauren Conati and Katie Sato led the Matadors in assists (36) and digs (12), respectively.
By virtue of its 3-0 record in the Rebel Challenge, UNLV finished first. CSUN (2-1) was second while Hofstra (1-2) and Sacramento State (0-3) were third and fourth, respectively. The Matadors placed Haake and Contai on the all-tourney team. Hofstra's Leticia Valente and Sacramento State's Courtney Dietrich were also recognized for their play this weekend.
The Rebels will host the Shandong China Junior Team at 6:00 pm Wednesday night before hitting the road for two straight weekend.
NOTES: With the win, UNLV has won 20 of its last 22 matches played in the friendly confines of the Cox Pavilion ... Both Hammel (MVP) and Descamps were members of last week's UNLV Invitational All-Tournament Team.
