LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV volleyball team (15-3, 6-1 MW) kicked off homecoming weekend with a win over Utah State (13-6, 5-3 MW) in a long back-and-forth five-set battle Thursday evening in the friendly confines of Cox Pavilion.
The Rebels took the first two sets by a score of 25-22 for both, before falling behind in the third and fourth frames by scores of 25-16 and 25-17. It all came down to the fifth and final set with a kill from sophomore Chloe Thomas to secure the win for the Scarlet & Gray.
REBEL OF THE MATCH: Redshirt-junior Jordyn Freeman led the entire match in attack efficiency with a hitting percentage of .692
UNLV was led by double-digit outings by Jhenna Gabriel with 34 assists and 17 digs, followed by freshman Maya Sands with a match-high 22 digs, one receptions and five assists.
The hitting contest went to the Aggies as they outhit UNLV .213 to .191, although the Rebels out-killed Utah State 55-53. Freeman's .692 hitting percentage and Thomas's .206 made the duo the squad's leaders in attack efficiency.
UP NEXT: The Rebels will continue homecoming weekend at the Cox Pavilion with a match against Boise State set for Saturday at 1 p.m.
OTHER NEWS & NOTES
- Dating back to 2019, UNLV has gone 72-15 in its last 87 matches. The Rebels have won 15 of 18 matches this season and 41 of its last 50.
- UNLV returned eight letterwinners this season. Also returning to the squad from last season were Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos, Arien Fafard, Jordyn Freeman, Chloe Thomas, Isha Knight, Keyana Cruse, Dakota Quinlan, Livvy Setla, Isabel Martin and Thea Sweder. There are eight newcomers, which include three freshmen, a trio of transfers and a pair of graduate transfers.
- UNLV is led by fifth-year head coach Dawn Sullivan, who looks to guide her squad to the postseason for the fifth straight season.
- Junior Arien Fafard had her 1,000th career assist during the opening weekend of the Rebels' 2022 campaign at UNT.
- The Rebels defeated No. 19 Kansas on September 10, 2022, making that the second win over a ranked team since 2016. The first being then No. 25 Washington State during the fall 2021 season at the Rebel Challenge (Sept. 4, 2021).
-UNLV-
