LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV women's golf team kicked off its spring season Monday hosting The Show at Spanish Trail Country Club and couldn't have asked for a better start. The Rebels jumped to the top of the leaderboard thanks to a 12-under 276 in the opening round on the Par 72 6,402-yard course. They followed with a second round of 5-under 283 to lead the field by five strokes heading into Tuesday's final round.

The 12-under in the first round is the lowest single-round team score since the Rebels shot 277 and 278 in consecutive rounds to win the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in October of 2017. It also ties for third-lowest all-time in program history, matching the 12-under 276 the Rebels shot in the third round at UC Irvine in 2015.

Four of five Rebels in the lineup - freshman Toa Yokoyama, junior Nicole Lorup, freshman Kendall Todd and senior Veronica Joels - ended the day under par and sit in the top five in the individual standings. Lorup carded 5-under to sit in second, followed by Yokoyama in third at 4-under and Todd and Joels tied for fourth at 3-under. A fifth Rebel - freshman Hina Matsui - also turned in an under-par performance, tying for ninth at 1-under on Monday playing as an individual. Sophomore Gracie Olkowski and freshman McKenzi Hall, each playing as individuals, are tied for 25th at 2-over with freshman Sydney Bryan rounding it out in a tie for 44th at 4-over. 

UNLV will be eyeing its third team title of the 2021-22 campaign on Tuesday, which would be the most since the Rebels won four in 2017-18. It would also mark the second win in their home spring event. While this is the first running of The Show at Spanish Trail, the Rebels previously hosted The Rebel Beach Invitational at Spanish Trail the past four seasons and won the inaugural tournament back in 2018.

The Rebels also have a chance Tuesday to set a program record with a fourth straight tournament at par or better, breaking the mark of two consecutive which has only happened twice, both under head coach Amy Bush-Herzer in 2015-16 and 2016-17. A fourth tournament finish at par or better would also tie for the record for most in a season, with the 2015-16 squad collecting four par or better finishes.

Sitting in second behind UNLV (-17 559) is in-state rival UNR at 12-under (564) and Augusta in third at 2-under (574). Co-host Furman, North Florida and Cal Poly are tied for fourth at 7-over (583). Individually, UNR's Leah John had an impressive day, shooting a 69 and 66 to head into Tuesday at 9-under with a four-shot lead over Lorup.

UP NEXT: UNLV will try to complete the tournament title in Tuesday's final round, which will begin with an 8 a.m. shotgun start at Spanish Trail Country Club.

NOTES:
• UNLV has shot under par as a team in seven of its last 11 rounds in 2021-22
• UNLV shot an 8-under 280 in the final round of the fall  (eighth lowest all-time) and opened the spring with a 12-under 276 Monday (T-3rd lowest all-time) 
• UNLV won two tournaments during the fall portion of its season for the first time in program history (Dale McNamara & The Clash at Boulder Creek)
• The Rebels won the 2021 Dale McNamara Invitational Oct 11-12 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by 11 strokes, marking first tournament win since 2019 (Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown); Three Rebels finished in the top six with freshman Sydney Bryan winning her first collegiate tournament at 4-under 212
• UNLV finished at 3-under at the Jim West Invitational, marking the first time the Rebels finished under par in back-to-back tournaments since the spring of 2017 and has a chance to finish at par or better in four straight tournaments 
• UNLV has six returners from last year's squad and welcomed seven newcomers to the squad this year, including six freshmen
• Marissa Uradomo, a four-time MVC All-Conference golfer at Indiana State, joined Bush-Herzer's staff as an assistant coach in September of 2021
• Head coach Amy Bush-Herzer is in her 11th year at the helm of the program. She has led her team to a conference championship four times.