LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team jumped back into the win column Saturday afternoon with its 3-1 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks (4-6) on the third and final day of the Rebel Challenge. The Rebels (4-7) claimed the four-set affair at the Cox Pavilion behind set scores of 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19.
The Scarlet & Gray outhit the Big 12 squad by 55 points (.179 to .124) despite the latter owning advantages in kills (49-48) and attack attempts (145-134). The discrepancy in hitting efficiency was primarily a result of UNLV only committing 24 errors to KU's 31. The Rebels closed out the affair with their best hitting display – a .364 in the fourth – and posted .200 or better efforts in the first (.250) and second (.200). The Jayhawks, on the other hand, opened with a .286 in the first, but progressively got worse with .156 (second set), .023 (third) and .000 (fourth).
The contest featured 22 ties and nine lead changes, with two of each occurring in the fourth and final set. The second and third combined for 18 ties and seven lead changes.
UNLV was paced by
Mariena Hayden's first double-double of the season, which came off a combination of 13 kills and 14 digs. Additionally,
Alison French had 12 kills, while
Shelby Capllonch and
Macy Smith chipped in seven apiece.
Defensively, the Rebels owned a plus-5 advantage in total team blocks (18.0-13.0), with four different players registering five or more assisted blocks.
Kate Brennan had a career-high nine blocks (one solo/eight assisted), while
Macy Smith, who had seven kills on the offensive side of the net, tied a career- and season-best with eight blocks (two solo/eight assisted). Hayden and French also notched career marks with six and five, respectively.
REBEL NOTES:
- Saturday's win over KU signaled the end of UNLV's 2019 nonconference schedule, with the Rebels going 4-7.
- Hayden's 13 kills moved her into the program's career record book for kills with 922. Currently, Hayden sits ninth after surpassing Erin Greenwood's 918 (2006-09) and Angie Sylvas' 912 (1997-99).
- Hayden had two aces against KU, which pushed her UNLV record and career total to 162. Hayden's haul is 46 more than the previous best of 116 by Christel Eves (1996-99).
UP NEXT: UNLV transitions to Mountain West play this week with its conference opener in Laramie against the Wyoming Cowgirls Thursday night (6:30 pm MT/5:30 pm PT), while the home opener will take place next Saturday (2:00 pm) against No. 22 Colorado State at the Cox Pavilion.
