Photo by: UNLV creative services
Rebels Continue Season, Host NIVC Tournament
11/25/2018 9:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNLV volleyball welcomes Fresno State, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara to Las Vegas for matches this Thursday and Friday.
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team will continue its season this week in the Women's National Invitational Volleyball Championship. The Rebels are one of eight programs to serve as hosts for the first two rounds of the postseason tournament comprised of 32 NCAA Division I teams.
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Joining the Scarlet & Gray in Las Vegas will be a pair of squads from the Big West, UC Irvine (16-12) and UC Santa Barbara (17-11), as well as MW foe Fresno State (20-10). UCSB and FS will open Thursday's action at 4:30 pm, while UNLV and UCI will square off at 7:00 pm. The winners from those matches will meet at 7:00 pm Friday.
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The NIVC's third round will be held Dec. 5-7, while the semifinals will run Dec. 7-9. The tournament's championship match is slated for Dec. 11. Mississippi claimed the 2017 title after it defeated Texas Tech.
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"What an amazing experience for our team to have the opportunity to play postseason in the NIVC," said head coach Dawn Sullivan. "It's even more of an honor for UNLV and the Las Vegas community to host such an event. I am excited to see the support this community shows, and how we are able to continue to build this championship culture at UNLV."
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The Rebels, who will be making their third trip to the postseason after they played in the 2007 and 2016 NCAA Tournaments, enter the NIVC with a 19-11 overall record. Delving deeper, the squad went 9-3 in nonconference play and 10-8 in the Mountain West, which resulted in a fifth-place tie with Boise State.
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The team ranks third in the country in aces per set (1.86) and fourth in aces (212). Additionally, it is 60th in hitting percentage (.237) and 86th in win-loss percentage (.633).
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UNLV is led by sophomore Mariena Hayden who sits first in both aces (94) and aces per set (0.85) as well as sixth in points (604.5) and points per set (5.45). Hayden's 94 aces – a UNLV single-season record – are the third most by a Division I player since the NCAA switched to the current 25-point scoring format in 2008
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THE NIVC LAS VEGAS FIELD:
-UNLV is a combined 18-21 versus the trio coming to Las Vegas for the NIVC, and has played all three at least once within the past three seasons.
-UNLV is 5-4 against UC Irvine, with the latter winning the last meeting – a 3-2 decision in Las Vegas on Sept. 8, 2017.
-UCI finished the regular season 16-12 and in third place in the Big West with a 10-6 mark.
-UNLV is 10-10 against Fresno State; however, the Bulldogs have won four straight dating back to the 2017 campaign.
-FS finished the regular season 20-10 and in second place in the Mountain West with a
-UNLV is 3-7 against UC Santa Barbara, with all three Rebel wins coming in the last four meetings, including a 3-0 victory on Aug. 26, 2016 in Las Vegas.
-UCSB finished the regular season 17-11 and in fourth place in the Big West with a 9-7 mark.
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REBEL NOTES:
-UNLV is 1-2 all-time in postseason play, with a 0-1 showing in the 2007 NCAA Tournament (3-2 loss to Long Beach State) and a 1-1 mark in 2016's edition, which included a 3-1 upset of No. 22 Utah in the first round and a three-set loss to No. 10 BYU in the second round.
-UNLV's 19 wins are the seventh most by a team in program history and only trail 2014's 26; 2007 and 2014's 24; 1984 and 1998's 23; and 2006's 20.
-UNLV's 19 wins this season are 11 more than the eight registered by the 2017 squad during its 8-23 campaign. The Rebels are one of six teams with at least a plus-11 differential in victories from one year ago. Stetson, Bradley and FIU lead the way at plus-13. UMKC, a squad UNLV defeated 3-2 in St. Louis in September, was plus-12. Loyola-Chicago ended the year plus-11.
-The Mountain West will have four squads playing in the postseason with Colorado State representing the conference in the NCAA Tournament, while UNLV, Fresno State and Wyoming will participate in the NIVC.
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PURCHASE TICKETS: Single-game ticket prices this season are $8 for adults, $6 for faculty/staff and seniors, although a special internet price of $5 is available for all tickets bought online at UNLVTickets.com, good up to three hours before the match. All middle school and elementary students are now free under UNLV's new admission policy, and will receive a complimentary ticket at the box office (no I.D. required). Kids not yet elementary school age will continue to receive free admission for all UNLV Olympic sports.
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Joining the Scarlet & Gray in Las Vegas will be a pair of squads from the Big West, UC Irvine (16-12) and UC Santa Barbara (17-11), as well as MW foe Fresno State (20-10). UCSB and FS will open Thursday's action at 4:30 pm, while UNLV and UCI will square off at 7:00 pm. The winners from those matches will meet at 7:00 pm Friday.
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The NIVC's third round will be held Dec. 5-7, while the semifinals will run Dec. 7-9. The tournament's championship match is slated for Dec. 11. Mississippi claimed the 2017 title after it defeated Texas Tech.
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"What an amazing experience for our team to have the opportunity to play postseason in the NIVC," said head coach Dawn Sullivan. "It's even more of an honor for UNLV and the Las Vegas community to host such an event. I am excited to see the support this community shows, and how we are able to continue to build this championship culture at UNLV."
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The Rebels, who will be making their third trip to the postseason after they played in the 2007 and 2016 NCAA Tournaments, enter the NIVC with a 19-11 overall record. Delving deeper, the squad went 9-3 in nonconference play and 10-8 in the Mountain West, which resulted in a fifth-place tie with Boise State.
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The team ranks third in the country in aces per set (1.86) and fourth in aces (212). Additionally, it is 60th in hitting percentage (.237) and 86th in win-loss percentage (.633).
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UNLV is led by sophomore Mariena Hayden who sits first in both aces (94) and aces per set (0.85) as well as sixth in points (604.5) and points per set (5.45). Hayden's 94 aces – a UNLV single-season record – are the third most by a Division I player since the NCAA switched to the current 25-point scoring format in 2008
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THE NIVC LAS VEGAS FIELD:
-UNLV is a combined 18-21 versus the trio coming to Las Vegas for the NIVC, and has played all three at least once within the past three seasons.
-UNLV is 5-4 against UC Irvine, with the latter winning the last meeting – a 3-2 decision in Las Vegas on Sept. 8, 2017.
-UCI finished the regular season 16-12 and in third place in the Big West with a 10-6 mark.
-UNLV is 10-10 against Fresno State; however, the Bulldogs have won four straight dating back to the 2017 campaign.
-FS finished the regular season 20-10 and in second place in the Mountain West with a
-UNLV is 3-7 against UC Santa Barbara, with all three Rebel wins coming in the last four meetings, including a 3-0 victory on Aug. 26, 2016 in Las Vegas.
-UCSB finished the regular season 17-11 and in fourth place in the Big West with a 9-7 mark.
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REBEL NOTES:
-UNLV is 1-2 all-time in postseason play, with a 0-1 showing in the 2007 NCAA Tournament (3-2 loss to Long Beach State) and a 1-1 mark in 2016's edition, which included a 3-1 upset of No. 22 Utah in the first round and a three-set loss to No. 10 BYU in the second round.
-UNLV's 19 wins are the seventh most by a team in program history and only trail 2014's 26; 2007 and 2014's 24; 1984 and 1998's 23; and 2006's 20.
-UNLV's 19 wins this season are 11 more than the eight registered by the 2017 squad during its 8-23 campaign. The Rebels are one of six teams with at least a plus-11 differential in victories from one year ago. Stetson, Bradley and FIU lead the way at plus-13. UMKC, a squad UNLV defeated 3-2 in St. Louis in September, was plus-12. Loyola-Chicago ended the year plus-11.
-The Mountain West will have four squads playing in the postseason with Colorado State representing the conference in the NCAA Tournament, while UNLV, Fresno State and Wyoming will participate in the NIVC.
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PURCHASE TICKETS: Single-game ticket prices this season are $8 for adults, $6 for faculty/staff and seniors, although a special internet price of $5 is available for all tickets bought online at UNLVTickets.com, good up to three hours before the match. All middle school and elementary students are now free under UNLV's new admission policy, and will receive a complimentary ticket at the box office (no I.D. required). Kids not yet elementary school age will continue to receive free admission for all UNLV Olympic sports.
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Players Mentioned
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