ST. GEORGE, Utah (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team (9-2) swept Utah Tech (6-3) during the final match of the Southern Utah Invitational Saturday afternoon at Burns Arena.
The Scarlet & Gray dominated all three sets by scores of 25-14, 25-8 and 26-24.
Junior Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos paced the Scarlet & Gray with 13 kills, seven digs and 13.5 points, followed by senior Thea Sweder who tallied up eight kills, one dig and 12.5 points. The Rebels were led by Jhenna Gabriel's 26 assists, five digs, two kills and two points, freshman Maya Sands tacked on a team-high 18 digs and two assists.
The hitting contest went to UNLV as it outhit the Trailblazers .216 to .023. Junior Jordyn Freeman's .308 and Arretche-Ramos's .243 hitting percentage made the Rebel duo the squad's leaders in attack efficiency.
ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS
MVP
Jordyn Freeman
TEAM
Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos
Maya Sands
UP NEXT: The Rebels will open up conference play on the road against Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado Thursday, September 22 at 6 p.m. (PT), before heading over to Laramie, Wyoming for a conference matchup against Wyoming Saturday, September 24 at 12 p.m. (PT).
OTHER NEWS & NOTES
- Dating back to 2019, UNLV has gone 66-14 in its last 80 matches. The Rebels have won nine of 11 matches this season and 35 of its last 43.
- 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).
- This was the first contest held between both programs, as Utah Tech, formally known as Dixie State, moved to NCAA Division I status during the 2021-22 season.
-UNLV-
