SACRAMENTO, Calif. (UNLVrebels.com) – After qualifying for the postseason play outside the Mountain West Tournament for the sixth season in a row, the UNLV volleyball team (19-13, 11-7 Mountain West) traveled out to Sacramento State to play in the first round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Tournament on Thursday night. The Rebels couldn't catch up to the Hornets' hot start, falling on a final score of 3-0.
 
Sacramento State overtook the Scarlet & Gray on a final line of 25-18, 25-17 and 25-21. The Rebels posted an overall hitting percentage of .149 compared to the Hornets' .337.
 
Redshirt senior Isabel Martin was the only UNLV student-athlete to reach double-digit kills, picking up 14 on her way to a double-double with 10 digs. Isha Knight also recorded 10 digs in the contest for the Rebels, Arien Fafard and Caleigh King each owned eight as well. The Scarlet & Gray tallied six service aces across the three-set match, Fafard and Knight each recorded two while King and Martin also had one a piece. Jordyn Freeman led the team with three total blocks in the contest, collecting the program's lone solo block.
 
The Hornets had three student-athletes with double-digit kills, Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin posted a hitting percentage of .833 on 20 attempts. She also led the defense with two solo and three assisted blocks, Caty Cordano picking up 14 digs. Bridgette Smith and Hailey Plugge each recorded three service aces.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Martin's kill total on Thursday continued to push her up the UNLV-career ranks, now eighth in Rebel history in kills at 949.
- Quinlan's 2023 hitting efficiency marks the highest rate of all-time in a single season, ending the year hitting .374.
- Freeman's block totals for the Rebels in 2023 placed her up in the top-10 all time members of the Scarlet & Gray, now holding 378 blocks for sixth.
- First-year head coach Malia Shoji's 19 wins with the program in 2023 marks the 11th time in program history the team has recorded at least 19 wins in a single season.
- Knight's double-digit dig total marked the eighth time in the last 10 matches the junior has achieved the feat.