LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team begins its 18-match Mountain West schedule this week with a pair of contests against the Wyoming Cowgirls and the No. 17 Colorado State Rams. The Rebels will open conference play on the road Thursday night against Wyoming in Laramie. Two days later, the Scarlet & Gray will host the Rams in a Saturday afternoon affair at the Cox Pavilion.
UNLV is coming off a 1-1 showing at its own Rebel Challenge against the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Kansas Jayhawks. The Rebels went the distance against ASU, losing in five set; however, they rebounded with a 3-1 victory over KU.
Wyoming, like UNLV, went 1-1 last weekend in Omaha, Nebraska with a 3-1 win over Wichita State and a 3-0 loss to then-No. 15 Creighton at the Bluejay Invitational.
CSU went a perfect 3-0 at home in the Homewood Suites UNC/CSU Classic with back-to-back sweeps of tourney co-host Northern Colorado and Cal Poly as well as a 3-1 triumph over Oregon State.
This week's meetings with the Cowgirls and Rams will be the only time the Rebels will face either squad due to the MW's unbalanced schedule. UNLV will face the other eight conference teams twice in home-and-home action beginning Oct. 3 through Nov. 23.
TUNE IN, WATCH & LISTEN
Fans can follow this week's Mountain West matches at Wyoming and at home against No. 17 Colorado State by various means: live stats, live video and social media. Links to stats and live video - via the Mountain West Network - can be found online at UNLVRebels.com in the "schedule" section of the team's volleyball page as well as on the team's official social media channels.
ON THE SIDELINES
Following the conclusion of Saturday's contest against No. 17 Colorado State, UNLV will head back out on the road for two matches in the Golden State against the San Diego State Aztecs and the Fresno State Bulldogs.
The Rebels will face SDSU in San Diego on Oct. 3 (Thursday/6:00 pm) and then head north to Fresno to tussle with Fresno State on Oct. 5 (Saturday/1:00 pm).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
>Wyoming: The Cowgirls are 5-6 through four weeks of play, going 1-1 last week with a 3-1 win over Wichita State and a 3-0 loss to Creighton at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, Nebraska ... The Cowgirls have lost four of their last five dating back to the South Dakota Classic, which included defeats to Iowa, South Dakot and UC Davis ... The Cowgirls began the year with two straight losses, but rebounded with four straight wins before the trip to South Dakota ... The Cowgirls, who return four starters and eight letterwinners, were picked to finish second in the Mountain West after posting a third-place finish with a 12-6 league mark one year ago, and a 20-11 overall record.
>Colorado State: The Rams are 10-1 through four weeks of play, going 3-0 last week at home with 3-0 sweeps of Northern Colorado and Cal Poly as well as a 3-1 win over Oregon State ... The Rams only loss came against California - which is currently No. 21 in this week's AVCA Top-25 Poll - in the second contest of the season, and it sparked a 10-match winning streak ... The Rams, who return five starters and 10 letterwinners, were picked to win the Mountain West after claiming their second straight title in 2018 with a 15-3 league mark, and a 23-8 overall record.
