LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team will start four-straight games in Cox Pavilion, starting Thursday, facing off against Fresno St. and UNR. The Rebels will match up against the Bulldogs first on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. and then face off against the Wolf Pack on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 1:00 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
 
The Rebels have special notes tabbed onto the two games this weekend, their Thursday night match being the Clark County School District night. The Saturday match not only marks the second game this season of the Silver State Series presented by the America First Credit Union, but it'll dual-serve as the program's Women's Day and Alumni Day game for the season.
 
LAST WEEK: UNLV's (14-10, 6-6 Mountain West) defense helped the Rebels surpass both opponents last weekend, earning wins in both matches to beat Air Force and New Mexico on the road 3-1 each. Redshirt senior Jordyn Freeman was honored with the Mountain West's Defensive Player of the Week honor, registering 18 total blocks over the course of two games.
 
REBEL LEADERS: The defense moved up among the ranks of the Mountain West within the last week, Freeman surging up to second overall in the conference in blocks per set to now average 1.35 per set. Isabel Martin still remains as one of the top offensive student-athletes in the Mountain West, ranking second in both kills per set (4.21) and points per set (4.82) as the team features a combined  hitting percentage of .247 in conference play for third overall. 
 
The Rebels' hitting percentage is led by a pair of UNLV middle blockers, Freeman leading the team with a .364 rate for fifth in the Mountain West. Junior Dakota Quinlan sits right behind her redshirt-senior teammate at sixth overall in the conference with her hitting percentage of .346. Junior Livvy Setla remains in the conference's top-five student-athletes in services aces, moving up to fourth with .43 aces per set. Freshman Caleigh King remains in the Mountain West's top 10, serving up a seventh-place spot in service aces at .38 per set.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS:
 
Fresno State (13-10, 7-5):
The Rebels will have to storm past the Bulldogs' defense on Thursday, Fresno State currently forcing opponents to a hitting percentage of .192 that ranks second in the Mountain West. Dionii Fraga stands as one of the team's top defensive student-athletes, sitting as the only player in the Mountain West with over four digs per set (4.31). Fresno State sits tied third overall with the Rebels in service aces through the Mountain West season, registering 84 aces in 48 sets for an average of 1.75. When the two programs faced off earlier in the season, Jenna Legault led the program with 11 kills enroute to the Bulldogs' .275 hitting percentage in the match.
 
UNR (7-16, 3-9):
The Wolf Pack sit inside the league's top-five in a handful of statistical categories, UNR also heading a strong frontline that only allows opponents to hit .217 during matches (fifth in the Mountain West). That defense is led by Jordan Schwartz, the sophomore ranking third in the conference in blocks per set behind Freeman (1.31). Hikialani Kaohelaulii registers 3.67 digs per set in the backline, reflecting her middle-blocker teammate at third overall in the conference standings. The last time these two programs faced off, the Wolf Pack was led by Nicanora Clarke with 18 kills as Sia Liilii (14) and Gabby McLaughlin (13) also picked up double-digit marks in the Silver State Series game.
 
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.