LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team (3-7) came up short in its comeback bid against the Arizona State Sun Devils (7-3) Thursday, losing 3-2 to the visitors from the Grand Canyon State. ASU claimed the five-set contest by set scores of 21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 20-25, 15-9 on the first day of the Rebel Challenge at the Cox Pavilion.
The Scarlet & Gray had five players register eight or more kills in the match, with
Mariena Hayden pacing the squad with a team-high 10 kills.
Erin Davis and
Thea Sweder threw down nine kills apiece, while
Alison French and
Macy Smith had eight each.
The offense was paced by 22 and 20 assists from
Lauryn Burt and
Antonette Rolda, respectively, while the pair also contributed 14 digs.
Shelby Capllonch led the team defensively with 11 digs, with
Shania Scott following closely behind with 10. Hayden also added eight digs of her own.
ASU outhit UNLV by 124 points (.321 to .197), with help from eight more kills (60-52) and six fewer errors (16-22) in 15 fewer attack attempts (137-152). The Sun Devils posted .310 or better hitting efficiencies in four of five sets, including a staggering .538 effort (15-1-26) in the third and a .438 (9-2-16) in the fifth and final frame. UNLV, on the other hand, opened the match with its best hitting efficiency – a .343 (14-2-35) – in the first; however, the offense was limited to .062 (fifth set) to .214 (second) the remainder of the affair.
REBEL NOTES:
- Hayden moved three kills away from tying Angie Sylvas (1997-99) for 10th place in the program's career record book; Sylvas had 912 kills, while Hayden has 909.
- Hayden had two aces against ASU, which pushed her UNLV record and career total to 160. Hayden's haul is 44 more than the previous best of 116 by Christel Eves (1996-99).
UP NEXT: The Rebel Challenge continues Friday at the Cox Pavilion with ASU taking on the Kansas Jayhawks at 3:30 pm. UNLV will return to the court Saturday in a tilt at 12:00 pm.
