LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV volleyball team will stay out on the road with a pair of matches in Albuquerque, N.M., and Colorado Springs, Colorado, this week. The Rebels, who are in the midst of an eight-match win streak with the last two of those coming against Mountain West foes, will face the New Mexico Lobos Wednesday at 7:00 pm MT (6:00 pm PT) and the Air Force Falcons Friday at 6:30 pm MT (5:30 pm PT).
This week's matches are part of a stretch that will see the Scarlet & Gray play five of seven on the road, and it started last Saturday with a 3-1 win against the Utah State Aggies in Logan, Utah. Following home matches with San Jose State and UNR next week, the Rebels will play twice more away from Las Vegas and the Cox Pavilion in Fresno and San Diego, California on Oct. 11 and 13, respectively.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: UNLV has faced this week's opponents a total of a total of 84 times with a combined overall record of 63-21. The Rebels and New Mexico Lobos first met in 1985 and have played a total of 41 times with the former holding a 24-17 edge. The head-to-head series with the Air Force Falcons began in 1996, but has been one-sided with UNLV owning a 39-4 advantage.
TUNE IN, WATCH & LISTEN: Live stats for all both of UNLV's matches this week can be found online at UNLVRebels.com in the "schedule" section of the volleyball page. Additionally, each contest will be streamed live via the Mountain West Network, and, they too, will be linked to UNLVRebels.com.
WHAT-A-START: UNLV's 11-3 overall record through 14 matches is tied for the second-best start in program history with the 1998, 2007 and 2014 squads. Occupying the top spot is the 2016 edition that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament following a 13-1 start.
ON THE SIDELINES: Following Saturday's road match at Air Force, UNLV will return to Las Vegas and the Cox Pavilion for Mountain West contests against the San Jose State Spartans and UNR Wolf Pack on Thursday (Oct. 4) and Saturday (Oct. 6), respectively. Both bouts are slated for 6:00 pm first serves. The UNLV-UNR tilt is part of the Governor's Series presented by NV Energy and Barrick Gold; a head-to-head competition between the Silver State's NCAA Division I competition, and won five times - including last year by a 27-21 score.
SCOUTING THIS WEEK'S OPPOSITION
Wednesday's Opponent: New Mexico Lobos (7-7 overall, 1-1 MW)
-Enters the week coming off a 3-0, road loss at Boise State to close their opening weekend of Mountain West play 1-1 following a 3-1 win at home over Utah State.
-The Lobos are 2-1 in their last three matches, but 2-3 in their last five.
-The Lobos are 3-1 at home with a pair of 3-1 wins, one 3-0 victory and one 3-0 loss.
-The Rebels lead the all-time series 24-17; however, the Lobos won the only meeting in 2017 by a 3-0 score (Nov. 20; Albuquerque).
Friday's Opponent: Air Force Falcons (11-4 overall, 1-0 MW)
-Enters the week coming off a 3-0 win at home over San Diego State.
-The Falcons are 5-1 in their last six matches, and each has taken place at home.
-The Falcons began the year 4-2 with trips to North Carolina and Texas, and has since played nine straight at home with seven wins.
-The Rebels leads the all-time series 39-4; however, the Falcons won the only meeting in 2017 by a 3-2 score (Nov. 18; Las Vegas). UNLV had won the three previous bouts and 34 of 35 prior to last year's loss.
GETTING NOTICED: With help from their eight-match winning streak and 11-3 overall record, the UNLV Rebels moved into the "receiving votes" category of VolleyballMag.com's Mid-Major Poll. The Rebels took in four votes and sit 31st in the rankings.
Three other Mountain West squads are mentioned in this week's poll, as Colorado State is No. 6, Wyoming is No. 13 and Boise State, a team UNLV defeated 3-0 last week, is receiving votes (45) for 27th.
