FORT COLLINS, Colo. (UNLVRebels.com) – The No. 1 seed UNLV volleyball team (26-4, 17-1 MW) suffered a heartbreaking upset by the No. 4 seed Utah State (21-10, 11-7 MW) Thursday afternoon during the semifinal match of the 2022 Mountain West Championship Tournament.

The Scarlet & Gray held strong in the first set, beating the Aggies to 10 points, but USU came back to take the first frame by a score of 25-18. The Rebels came back fighting in the second set, but after four tie scores and three lead changes Utah State was victorious (25-23). The third and final set went to the Aggies by a score of 25-21 as there were no tie scores or lead changes.

REBEL OF THE MATCH: Redshirt junior Isabel Martin recorded a match-high 13 kills and a match-high 15 points. 

Leading the squad in attack efficiency were graduate student Ellease Crumpton and redshirt junior Jordyn Freeman who hit for .294 and .222, respectively.

The Scarlet & Gray were led defensively by graduate student Jhenna Gabriel's double-digit outing with a match-high 24 assists, followed by freshman Maya Sands who had a team-high 10 digs. 

Utah State was led by Shelby Capllonch's 13 kills, Kennedi Boyd's .615 hitting efficiency and Jordi Holdaway's match-high 12 digs. 

The Aggies outhit the Rebels .305 to .178 for the match and turned in 19 total blocks to UNLV's 14. The match had eight total tie scores and four lead changes throughout. 

OTHER NEWS & NOTES
- Dating back to 2019, UNLV has gone 83-16 in its last 99 matches. The Rebels have won 26 of 30 matches this season and 52 of its last 62.
- 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). 
- Head Coach Dawn Sullivan notched 100 wins during the match against then MW leaders San Jose State, 3-1.
- UNLV was the first MW program to clinch a spot in the MW Tournament held November 23-25 in Fort Collins, Colorado. 
- Jhenna Gabriel recorded her 1,000th assist for the season during the Fresno State match (Nov. 12).
- UNLV earned at least a share of the MW Regular Season title after sweeping Fresno State (Nov. 12).
- UNLV's 17 game winning streak, ranked fourth in the nation, was snapped against Utah State (Nov. 24)

-UNLV-