LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Even though the Mountain West's Spring 2021 regular-season title was clinched last week, the UNLV volleyball team waited to celebrate at home following its Senior Night match against the Wyoming Cowgirls Thursday. All went as planned, as the Rebels closed out the regular season with another win – their 12th straight, sweeping Wyoming, 3-0, behind set scores of 25-19, 25-12, 25-21.
Not only did Thursday's victory cap a perfect regular season at 12-0, but it rewrote the program record for best start to a season, surpassing 2016's 11-0 mark, and it also tied the longest win streak in program history – 12, which spanned the finale of the 2015 campaign and carried over into 2016.
The Rebels made quick work of the Cowgirls, defeating the squad from Laramie in straight sets, and outhitting them by .202 points (.342 to .140) – the largest margin of the season. UNLV did not hit exceptionally well in the first or third sets, registering .269 (12-5-26) and .121 (11-7-33) efficiencies, respectively; however, its second set was unfathomable, a .800 with 16 kills against no errors in 20 swings. Wyoming, meanwhile, followed the same pattern as the Rebels, displaying its best effort in the second set - .304 (10-3-23) – and surrounding it with a .059 (9-7-34) in the first and .111 (10-6-36) in the third.
UNLV's hitting edge was a result of 10 more kills (39-29) and four fewer errors (12-16) in 14 fewer attack attempts (79-93).
The Scarlet & Gray also owned advantages in assists (38-27), aces (7-0), digs (43-22) and total team blocks (8.0-3.0).
Mariena Hayden posted her seventh double-double of the season and 53rd of her career, combining a match-high 14 kills with 10 digs. Hayden, one of six seniors celebrated on the night, hit .524 with only three errors in 21 swings. She also contributed three total blocks, one of which was of the solo variety.
Nine other Rebels recorded at least one kill in the match, with
Shelby Capllonch and
Alison French notching five apiece, while
Kate Brennan was next with three. Capllonch was also instrumental in the back row, collecting 10 digs to match Hayden, and coming up one shy of
Paris Oliveira's 11, which tied for the match high.
POST-MATCH FESTIVITIES: Following the match, the team celebrated its conference title, receiving the championship trophy as well as hats and T-shirts. The program also recognized its six seniors – French, Hayden,
Jillian Berg,
Erin Davis,
Macy Smith and
Thea Sweder.
NOTES:
-Dating back to the 2019 campaign, UNLV has now won 28 of its last 30 matches – the best run through 30 matches in program history.
-UNLV will be making its third trip to the NCAA Tournament, having previously participated in the 2007 and 2016 postseasons.
-Spring 2021 will mark three straight years of postseason participation, as UNLV played in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in 2018 and 2019.
-With the win, UNLV upped its slight edge in the head-to-head series to two matches, 26-24.
-UNLV closed out the regular season winning its last four matches in straight sets, giving the team seven wins by 3-0 scores.
UP NEXT: The Rebels will return to action later this month in Omaha, Nebraska, at the NCAA Tournament, which is scheduled for April 14-24. UNLV will learn its seed in the 48-team field as well as its opponent Sunday afternoon when ESPNU airs the NCAA Volleyball Selection Show at 1:00 pm. The first round of action is April 14, while the second round is one day later on the 15th.
