LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team extended its season-best win streak to eight with its four-set victory over the Air Force Falcons Thursday night at the Cox Pavilion. The Rebels got a double-double from Shelby Capllonch as well as an 18-kill effort from Mariena Hayden in the Mountain West affair won by set scores of 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 25-19.
 
Thursday's contest signaled the start of the second half of conference play for the Scarlet & Gray, and saw it continue its winning ways, upping its MW mark to 8-2 and its overall record to 12-9. Conversely, the loss snapped a two-match win streak the Falcons (7-14, 4-5 MW) carried into the event.
 
UNLV outhit Air Force by 41 points (.211 to .170) with help from five more kills (44-39) in only two more attack attempts (114-112), while both committed 20 errors in the bout. The Rebels began the match hitting a paltry .016 (16-15-62) over the first two sets, but turned things around after intermission with a combined .442 (28-5-52) in the third and fourth. The Falcons, on the other hand, hit .143 or better in all four frames; however, the visitors from the Centennial State only managed to hit a set-high .235 (7-3-17) in the fourth.
 
Hayden loomed large on both sides of the net for the Rebels, registering a match-high 18 kills and six aces to go along with seven digs and two assisted blocks. Capllonch combined 10 kills with 12 digs for her 13th double-double of the season.
 
The Rebels aced a total of 12 serves, marking the fourth instance the squad reached double-digit aces this season
 
REBEL NOTES:
- The last time UNLV won eight straight occurred during the 2018 campaign from Sept. 7-22.
- UNLV has now won two straight and five of seven against Air Force and upped its overall lead to 41-5 in the all-time head-to-head series. 
- UNLV improved to 5-4 in four-set matches this season, winning its last four – all of which have been against MW foes.
- Hayden had six aces in the match to bump her career tally to 199; thus, increasing her UNLV and Mountain West record number with each subsequent ace.
- Hayden's 18 kills against Air Force helped her move into fourth place in UNLV's career record book with 1,100, surpassing Daryn Glenn's 1,095 amassed from 2011-14.
- To date, Hayden ranks fifth in total attempts (2,991) and ninth in digs (909).
 
UP NEXT: UNLV will return to action next week in Las Vegas at the Cox Pavilion with home matches against the Fresno State Bulldogs and San Diego State Aztecs. The Rebels and Bulldogs square off Thursday evening (6:30 pm), while the Aztecs will come to town two days later for a Saturday matinee (2:00 pm).