LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The defending Mountain West Champion UNLV Volleyball Team, which is receiving votes in the national rankings, will open its fall 2021 season on Friday at the dōTERRA Classic hosted by BYU in Provo, Utah.

The Rebels are scheduled to face Long Island University on Friday, August 27 at 9 a.m. PT, then Southern Utah on Saturday, August 28 at 9 a.m. PT before concluding tournament play vs. No 15 BYU later that day at 6 p.m. PT. Video stream coverage will be available via the BYUtv App, live stats may be found on the UNLV volleyball schedule page and the match vs. the Cougars will be televised on BYU TV.

Coming off of a record-breaking season during the spring that saw the Rebels go undefeated in regular-season play (12-0) and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, UNLV returns nine letterwinners including All-American and MW Player of the Year Mariena Hayden, and All-MW First Team performer Kate Brennan.

Also returning to the squad are Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos, Lauryn Burt, Shelby Capllonch (honorable mention All-MW), Arien Fafard, Jordyn Freeman, Paola Garcia and Paris Oliveira. There are eight newcomers, which include six freshmen and a pair of international student-athletes.

UNLV is led by fourth-year head coach Dawn Sullivan, who was honored following the Spring 2021 season with the MW's Coach of the Year award.

For the first time in program history, the Rebels were predicted to finish atop the MW volleyball standings by the league's 11 head coaches as the preseason poll was released last week. Hayden was chosen as the Preseason Conference Player of the Year. 

News & Notes:

• UNLV concluded its Spring 2021 season with a 13-1 overall record.

• By winning their first MW regular-season title during the spring, the Rebels claimed the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

• UNLV was eliminated in the NCAA Tournament in the second round by eventual NCAA Champion Kentucky.

• UNLV's 13-0 start to the season in the spring – following the NCAA Tournament win over Illinois State – not only marked the best opening to a campaign in program history, but it also rewrote the program record for longest win streak. 

• Dating back to the 2019 campaign, UNLV has won 29 of its last 32 matches – the best run through 32 matches in program history.

• Hayden was named Honorable Mention All-America by the AVCA following Spring 2021 after being selected to the organization's Pacific South All-Region Team. She also was UNLV's first league Player of the Year in volleyball. 

• Hayden enters this season as the NCAA's active leader in aces ((269) and aces per set (.674). Additionally, she sits 12th in total attacks (3,897), 13th in kills (1,484) and 23rd in kills per set (3.72).