DENTON, Texas (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV women's volleyball (1-0) team came back from a two-set deficit to win a five-set thriller over UTRGV (0-1) in its season opener Friday afternoon at the North Texas Invite inside UNT's Volleyball Center.
After the Vaqueros took the first pair of sets, the Rebels reeled off respective 27-25, 26-24 victories in the third and fourth sets before dominating the final frame 15-2.
Trailing 4-1 in the third set, the Scarlet & Gray gained momentum with a 13-4 run to take the lead and would hold off UTRGV for a 27-25 win. Additionally, the Rebels reeled off a stretch of 16 straight points across the last two sets, including five to end the fourth and 11 points to start the fifth.
UNLV had three players finish with double-digit kills, led by
Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos' match-high 30 kills on a .426 hitting percentage. She was joined in that category by
Chloe Thomas with 17 kills on .375 hitting and
Isabel Martin, who posted a double-double with 21 kills and 10 digs.
On the attack, the Rebels topped the Vaqueros in efficiency, hitting .308 to the latter's .225, and kills by a 79-55 tally. The teams finished in a tie for blocks, 14-14, with UNLV's
Dakota Quinlan's nine swats leading all players.
UP NEXT: The Rebels continue tournament play today with their second match against the host North Texas Mean Green at 5 p.m. PT/7 p.m. CT. Fans can watch the action via ESPN+ broadcast with a subscription.
OTHER NEWS & NOTES:
- The Rebels have now won three straight season openers.
- 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.
