LOGAN, Utah (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team (2-1) went the distance, once again, at Weber State's Wildcat Invitational; however, the Rebels had to overcome a two-set deficit to record their second straight, five-set win at Swenson Gym Saturday. UNLV rallied to defeat Portland (2-1), 3-2, behind set scores of 19-25, 19-25, 27-25, 25-18, 15-12.
The Scarlet & Gray was paced offensively by 17 kills from both
Shelby Capllonch and
Thea Sweder, and 10 more from
Macy Smith. The trio combined for 44 of the Rebels' 59 kills, while hitting at a .400 efficiency for the match.
Antonette Rolda and
Lauryn Burt paced the offense, dishing out 29 and 21 assists, respectively.
On the defensive side of the net, the Rebels owned a plus-7 advantage (15.0-8.0) in total team blocks, with eight (two solo/six assisted) from Smith, five apiece (one solo/four assisted) from
Kate Brennan and
Alison French, and four (one solo/three assisted) from Capllonch, who also added nine digs.
Paris Oliveira paced the back row with a match-high 21 digs.
TURNING POINT: The Rebels awoke in the third set – a frame that featured 17 ties and seven lead changes – to stay alive in the match, staving off a set- and match-point opportunity by the Pilots – 25-24 – by winning three straight points off a service error and two kills from Sweder. Additionally, Capllonch had eight kills without committing and error in the third.
UNLV carried that third-set momentum into the fourth; eventually, using an 8-2 run to claim the frame and, subsequently, even the contest at 2-all.
The fifth; however, was back and forth with 10 ties and three lead changes. Trailing by two, 11-9, the Rebels took a timeout, regrouped, and rattled off a 6-1 run to complete the come-from-behind win.
REBEL NOTES:
- UNLV has won at least two matches in the opening weekend of play for the eighth straight season, going 2-1 each of the past three years.
- UNLV has won three in a row against Portland to up its lead in the head-to-head series to 3-1.
- Sweder posted career highs in both kills (17) and hitting efficiency (.500) against Portland.
- Smith's 10 kills were a career high, while her eight total blocks tied her career best, which was originally achieved (five solo/three assisted) while playing for South Dakota State in 2017.
WILDCAT INVITATIONAL STANDINGS
UNLV: 2-1
Portland: 2-1
Weber State: 2-1
CSUN: 0-3
WILDCAT INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
MVP: Kennedy Williams, Weber State
Ashlyn Power, Weber State
Shelby Capllonch, UNLV
Alison French, UNLV
Elizabeth Reich, Portland
Katie Barker, Portland
Seyvion Waggoner, CSUN
Nicole Nevarez, CSN
UP NEXT: The Rebels will stay on the road next week and play three at the UCI/adidas Invitational (Sept. 6-7) in Irvine, California, against the host UC Irvine Anteaters, California Golden Bears and North Carolina Tar Heels.
HOME OPENER: The Rebels return to Las Vegas and the Cox Pavilion with back-to-back home tournaments, beginning with the UNLV Invitational (Sept. 13-14) and bouts against Idaho, Texas Tech and Pacific. The Rebel Challenge (Sept. 19-21) will follow with matches against Arizona State (Sept. 19) and Kansas (Sept. 21).
