LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The Rebel volleyball team will make its home debut the Cox Pavilion this week with matches against the Idaho Vandals, Pacific Tigers and Texas Tech Red Raiders in the UNLV Invitational. The two-day tournament begins Friday and continues through Saturday with four matches on day one and two more on day two.
 
The Scarlet & Gray enter the weekend having played six matches over the first two weeks of the season, with three contests at tournaments hosted by Weber State and UC Irvine.
 
UNLV INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, September 13
10:00 am   UNLV vs. Idaho
12:00 pm   Pacific vs. Texas Tech
   5:00 pm   Idaho vs. Pacific
   7:00 pm   UNLV vs. Texas Tech
 
Saturday, September 14
11:30 am   Texas Tech vs. Idaho
   2:00 pm   UNLV vs. Pacific
 
TUNE IN, WATCH & LISTEN
Live stats as well as video links for all six matches of the UNLV Invitational can be found online at UNLVRebels.com in the "schedule" section of the volleyball page. The six contests will be streamed live via UNLV Athletics YouTube channel.

PROMOTIONALLY SPEAKING
Friday, September 13: Sickle Cell Awareness Day ... UNLV Volleyball will celebrate Christia Dozier, a local nine-year-old girl, that the program ceremonially adopted in July through Team IMPACT. Additionally, the team will help raise awareness for Sickle Cell Disease through a joint venture with the Dreamsickle Foundation.
 
ON THE SIDELINES
UNLV volleyball stays home with two more matches at the Cox Pavilion next week with bouts against Arizona State and Kansas in the Rebel Challenge. The three-day tournament features one match per day, with the Scarlet & Gray playing Thursday against ASU (6:30 pm) and Saturday versus KU (12:00 pm). Friday will pit ASU against KU at 3:30 pm.
 
CONFERENCE PLAY STARTS SOON
Following the conclusion of next week's Rebel Challenge, UNLV volleyball will turn its focus to the 18-match Mountain West schedule, which begins Sept. 26 on the road at Wyoming. The Rebels will play three of their first four away from the Cox Pavilion, with only a home tilt vs. Colorado State (Sept. 28) mixed in. The Scarlet & Gray will follow that stretch with six of eight at home, starting with Utah State (Oct. 10) and Boise State (Oct. 12).
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
>Idaho: The Vandals are 2-4 through two weeks of play, going 1-2 in both its own home tournament and another hosted by Portland ... The Vandals won their season opener - beating Cal Baptist (3-1), but have since lost four of their last five, with the lone win - a 3-0 sweep - coming against Utah State ... The Vandals, who return 11 letterwinners and one starter, were picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky this season after claiming a share of the conference title with a 15-3 league mark one year ago, and a 23-10 overall record.
 
>Pacific: The Tigers are 3-3 through two weeks of play, going 2-1 in week one and 1-2 in week at tournaments hosted by UC Davis and New Mexico State, respectively ... The Tigers won their first two matches - beating San Jose State (3-1) and Montana (3-0), but followed that start with three straight 3-0 losses before defeating UTEP (3-2) ... The Tigers, who return seven letterwinners, were picked to finish sixth in the West Coast Conference, the same spot it finished one year ago with a 8-10 league mark, and a 13-16 overall record one year ago.
 
>Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are 4-3 through two-plus weeks of play, going 3-0 at a tournament hosted by Ohio State and 0-3 at another in week two at Northwestern; however, the team got back in the win column Monday with a 3-1 at Northern Illinois ... The Red Raiders, who return 15 letterwinners and five starters, finished seventh in the Big 12 with a 6-10 mark one year ago, and concluded the campaign with a 17-13 overall record.
 
PURCHASE TICKETS: Tickets for the 2019 volleyball season are on sale now and can be purchased online at UNLVTickets.com. Fans can also get their tickets in person at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office or by call 702-739-FANS (3267). Season tickets are only $50 for adults and $40 for seniors (62+), faculty and staff, and active alumni.
 
Tickets for individual matches are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors, faculty and staff. Additionally, fans that purchase tickets online up to three hours prior to first serve can get them for an advanced single-match price of $5. Tickets for groups of 15 or more are only $4 apiece.
 
All high school, middle school and elementary students are free under UNLV's admission policy. To receive free admission, high school students must present a valid Nevada area school I.D. at the box office on match day to receive one (1) complimentary ticket. All other students will receive one complimentary ticket at the box office (no I.D. required). Kids not yet elementary age will continue to receive free admission for all UNLV Olympic sports.