Volleyball Travels West For A Set of Road Matches - University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The defending Mountain West regular-season champion UNLV volleyball team will take the road this week for a pair of conference matches, looking to add two more wins to their record before they hit the halfway point of the conference season.

The Rebels will first kick off the Silver State Series presented by the American First Credit Union against UNR on Thursday, Oct. 12 and then face off against Fresno State on Saturday, Oct. 14. The first serve against the Wolfpack is set for 6:00 p.m. PT, while their matchup against the Bulldogs will start at 1:00 p.m. PT. Both of their matches will be broadcasted on the Mountain West Network.

LAST WEEK: UNLV (12-6, 4-2 MW) split last weekend in its games at home against New Mexico and Air Force. The Rebels took down the then league-leading Falcons on a 3-1 final score after falling to the Lobos 3-0.

REBEL LEADERS: After last weekend's high-velocity attack against Air Force, UNLV continued to reign the top spot in the Mountain West in regards to hitting percentage during conference games at a .272 rate. Redshirt senior Isabel Martin continues to sit among the top offensive players in the league averaging 4.89 points per set during conference play to currently hold second in the conference, also sitting second in kills per set at 4.26.

UNLV also features another pair of student-athletes in different statistical categories inside the league's top-5 spots, Caleigh King remaining in the league's top performers in service aces with .43 per set at fifth overall. Jordyn Freeman's nine blocks registered over the seven-set weekend pushed her conference average to 1.17 total blocks per set, climbing up to fifth in the league. The Rebels also have junior Dakota Quinlan in the top-10 student-athletes in blocks, averaging 1.14 per set in the Mountain West for seventh overall.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS:

UNR (4-13, 0-6)
The Wolfpack (4-13, 0-6) sit 11th in the Mountain West heading into the first game of the Silver State Series, looking for their first win of the season in conference play. UNR is coming off of two road sweeps last week, falling to the top-two teams in the conference in Utah State (13-5, 6-1) and Boise State (9-8, 5-2). The Wolfpack currently sit third in the league as a team in digs per set during conference games, Hikialani Kaohelauii's second-ranked 4.57 digs per set paces the team in its 14.57 average. Jordan Schwartz also ranks as the current runner-up in the conference with 1.39 blocks per set, totaling 32 blocks during Mountain West matches this season.

Fresno State (8-9, 2-4)
The Bulldogs have lost their previous three matches before this week, also having faced off against Boise State and Utah State last weekend on the road. Fresno State holds 58 blocks in the 23 sets they've played in the Mountain West this season, sitting third in the league at 2.52 blocks per set. The team spreads its average across several different players at the front of the net, Kasey Purry leading the team with 1.10 blocks per set at ninth overall in conference play. Dionii Fraga also is a league leader in the Bulldogs' defensive efforts, heading the back line with 4.61 digs per set during conference matches this season. The combined defensive efforts of both the front and back lines places Fresno State as a top-five program in the league in opponent hitting percentage, only allowing a .210 rate of attacks to score on themselves.

LIVE COVERAGE: Video stream and live stats links from UNLV's matches are available on the volleyball schedule page at UNLVRebels.com.

REBEL ROSTER MAKEUP: The Rebels, who are led by first-year head coach Malia Shoji, returned 11 letterwinners from last season's team, including the 2022 MW Player of the Year and the 2023 Preseason MW Player of the Year in senior outside hitter Isabel Martin. Also returning are last season's all-conference honorees: senior outside hitter Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos and senior middle blocker Jordyn Freeman.

Martin also earned all-region honors last season and was named an honorable mention All-American.

The Rebels have also added five new players to their 2023 roster.

PRESEASON FAVORITES: UNLV was named the preseason league favorite along with Utah State in a poll voted on by the conference's head coaches.

LAST SEASON: UNLV went 26-5 overall in 2022, including a 17-1 record in Mountain West play, and made another NCAA Tournament appearance.

2023 TICKETS: Tickets for UNLV volleyball may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com or by calling 702-739-3267. Single-game tickets are $6 per adult when purchased in advance of game day, $10 on game day and free for kids in high school or younger.

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Players Mentioned

Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos

Jordyn Freeman

Caleigh King

Isabel Martin

Dakota Quinlan

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