LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team extended its win streak to four matches with a sweep of the San Diego Aztecs Thursday evening at the Cox Pavilion. The Rebels claimed the 3-0 decision behind set scores of 25-15, 25-23, 25-22, while Mariena Hayden and Kate Brennan provided double-digit kill efforts.
 
The Scarlet & Gray improved to 19-8 overall and 10-5 in the Mountain West, while SDSU is 8-20 and 6-9, respectively. More importantly, UNLV, which has won six of its last eight, maintained its third-place position in the conference standings behind the Colorado State Rams (13-2) and Fresno State Bulldogs (11-3). The Rebels entered the night tied with Wyoming, but a loss – at Boise State – dropped the Cowgirls into a tie for fourth with the Broncos with identical 9-6 marks.
 
UNLV outhit SDSU by 102 points (.183 to .081), and threw down 12 more kills (40-28) and committed one fewer error (19-20) in 16 more attack attempts (115-99). The Rebels hit .211 and .357 in the first and third, respectively, with a total of seven errors in those two frames; however, the squad, uncharacteristically, misfired 12 times towards a .061 hitting efficiency. The Aztecs, on the other hand, was held to .182 or lower hitting averages in all three frames, and that included a paltry -.024 effort in the second.
 
The Scarlet & Gray also held advantages in assists (36-26) and aces (4-2), but trailed the Aztecs in digs (43-48) and total team blocks (8.0-9.0).
 
TURNING POINT: After cruising to a quick 1-0 lead, UNLV and SDSU exchanged the lead four times in the second set and were tied seven times in the frame, as well. The Rebels led the stanza by as much as four points early on and maintained that edge until the Aztecs drew even at 19-all and then pushed ahead by one at 20-19. UNLV reclaimed the lead (21-20) with two straight points; however, SDSU would win three of the next four to lead by one at 23-22. The Rebels drew even with a kill by Hayden and then was helped by back-to-back attack errors by the Aztecs to close out the set.
 
The third was tightly contested through the first 28 points – 14-14 – with four ties and four lead changes, but UNLV won 11 of the final 19 points to claim the set and, subsequently, the match.
 
STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV got 21 of its 40 kills (52 percent) from Hayden and Brennan who had 11 and 10, respectively. The duo also had 59 of the team's 115 attack attempts (51 percent). The trio of Thea Sweder (seven kills), Erin Davis (five) and Elsa Descamps (five) combined for 17 of the squad's kills.
 
STAT OF THE GAME, PART TWO: SDSU had four players with at least two attack attempts held to negative hitting figures, including Deja Harris, who posted a -.154 with three kills against five errors in 13 swings.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME: In addition to her 10 kills off a .300 hitting effort, Brennan had four total blocks (one solo) with two aces and two digs.
 
QUOTABLE: "This is a big rival for our team, they're ready and they come out and compete, which is a lot of fun," said head coach Dawn Sullivan.
 
On Mariena Hayden's evening: She's a competitor and that's what you'll take every single day from her. She goes after it and she thrives on that. If someone's going to put something in front of her, she's 'like nope, I'm going to go after it a little different way and I'm going to find my kills'.
 
On the team's blocking and defense: I thought it was great, and I thought it started, actually, with our serve. We really got them out of system, so they couldn't run their middles as much as they maybe wanted to, and we were able to close and get a solid block up. Overall, their serve, then a great block and the defense behind them.

REBEL NOTES:
- Through 27 matches, UNLV's 19-8 record is the fourth best in program history, and only trails the 22-5 marks by the 2007 and 2016 squads, the 21-6 showing by the 2014 team and 1998's 20-7.
- UNLV completed the season sweep of SDSU Thursday, and has won three of the last four meetings to cut into the Aztecs' head-to-head series lead, which sits at 27-21.
-UNLV has swept the season series against SDSU, San Jose State and UNR.
-UNLV is 6-1 in Thursday matches.
-UNLV, which has played three of its last five matches to three sets, is 8-1 on the year in three-setters.
-Thursday's win was UNLV's 18th in 21 matches this season when it posts a higher hitting efficiency than its opponent.
-Thursday's win was UNLV's 16th in 20 matches this season when it records more kills than its opponent.
- With her 11 kills, Hayden has reached double digits in kills in all 26 matches that she has played in, and has 438 on the year, which are the fifth most in UNLV's single-season records. She needs three more to move into a fourth-place tie with Leiana Oswald, who had 441 in 2003.
-With one ace, Hayden has an NCAA-high 87 on the year and 130 for her career; both figures are program bests.
-With her four total blocks (all assisted), Descamps upped her career total of assisted blocks to 365 to aid her third-place standing in the program's record book. She also ranks fourth in career total blocks (420) and eighth in solo blocks (55).
 
NEXT FOR THE REBELS: UNLV stays home for one last regular-season match at the Cox Pavilion, with a 2:00 pm affair with the Fresno State Bulldogs Saturday. Following the match, the Rebels will recognize outgoing senior Elsa Descamps and her four-year career playing for the Scarlet & Gray.
 
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 high school, middle school and elementary students are now free under UNLV's new admission policy. To receive free admission, high school students must present valid Nevada area school I.D. at the box office on gameday to receive one (1) complimentary ticket. All other students 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.