LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team maintained its winning ways with a 3-1, come-from-behind victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs on Halloween at the Cox Pavilion. The Rebels were tricked into losing the opening frame by the Bulldogs, but wound up treating themselves to wins in the second, third and fourth sets to claim the contest behind set scores of 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-14.
Not only did Thursday's triumph extend the Scarlet & Gray's season-best win streak to nine - five of which have occurred at home - but it also gave the program a perfect 9-0 mark in the month of October. UNLV improved to 13-9 overall and now sits tied with Wyoming in the Mountain West standings with identical 9-2 records. FS, on the other hand, is 12-11 on the year and 5-6 in the MW.
The Rebels outhit the Bulldogs by 151 points (.222 to .071) with help from 15 more kills (48-33) against four fewer errors (20-24) in the same amount of attack attempts (126 each). UNLV saved its best hitting effort for the decisive fourth stanza, posting a .269 (9-2-26) after it recorded between .194 (third) and .229 (second) efficiencies between the first and third. FS began the bout with a .250 display (13-5-32), but got progressively worse as the match wore on, hitting .143 in the second, -.030 in the third and -.061 in the fourth. Delving deeper, the visitors from the Golden State registered three more errors than kills (16-13) in the second half of the affair.
UNLV also owned the edge in assists (42-31), aces (9-6), digs (63-52); however, FS was able to amass one more total team block (8.0-7.0).
Mariena Hayden led the match in kills (22), hitting (.364) and aces (five), while adding eight digs and one assisted block. Hayden's first ace of the night, which came early in the first set, was the 200th of her career, making her only the 26th NCAA Division I player to reach that milestone since the 25-point scoring format was adopted for the 2008 season.
Setters
Antonette Rolda and
Lauryn Burt had good showings for the Rebels, as well, with the former collecting her second double-double of the year off a combination of 19 assists and 10 digs to the latter's 14 assists and eight digs. Libero
Paris Oliveira also notched double-digit digs with 12 and dished out season-best seven assists.
REBEL NOTES:
- This month's nine wins surpassed the previous-best October mark by one - the 1985 squad won eight.
- The last time UNLV won at least nine straight occurred during the 2011 season, which began with 11 consecutive victories by the Rebels.
- UNLV has now won three straight against FS and pulled within one match of evening the all-time head-to-head series, which the Bulldogs lead 12-11.
- UNLV improved to 6-4 in four-set matches this season, winning its last five – all of which have been against MW foes.
- Hayden had five aces in the match to bump her career tally to 204; thus, increasing her UNLV and Mountain West record number with each subsequent ace.
- Hayden's eight digs drew her within five of tying Brittani Lumsden (2004-07) for eighth place in the program's career record book. Hayden has 917 career digs to Lumsden's 922.
- Rolda's 19 assists helped her move past Maria Julia Goes (1998-01) by one in the program's career record book. Rolda the has 1,608 career assists to the Goes' 1,607.
UP NEXT: UNLV will close out its four-match homestand with a Saturday matinee against the San Diego State Aztecs, with first serve scheduled for 2:00 pm. The day is being billed as a Luau Party with a tailgate outside the Cox Pavilion beginning at 11:30 am and running until 1:30 pm.
