OGDEN, Utah (UNLVRebels.com) – The defending Mountain West regular-season champion UNLV volleyball team lost at Weber State in five sets, 3-2, (18-25, 25-20, 25-19, 20-25, 12-15) on Saturday afternoon at Swenson Gym.
The Rebels (2-3) were led by Isabel Martin's match-high 20 kills. Jordyn Freeman contributed 12 and Chloe Thomas had nine. Caleigh King recorded a match- and season-high 28 digs, while Arien Fafard and Olivia Mikkelsen led the Rebels in assists with 29 and 21, respectively. Freeman had a team-high .375 hitting percentage.
Weber State (3-3) had three players in double figures in kills, led by Dani Richins with 16. Kate Standifird had a double-double with a match-high 44 assists and 17 digs. Sorensen contributed 16 digs, while Richins had 12. The Wildcats were led in hitting percentage by Liana Woodley at .368.
After dropping the first set of the match, UNLV stormed back to take sets two and three. But WSU earned a win in the fourth and finished off the fifth set with a three-point margin.
The Rebels out-hit the Wildcats for the match, .226 to .152, recorded seven more total kills (59-52) and seven more total assists (58-51). However, Weber State led in service aces 11-4. There were a total of 25 ties and nine lead changes throughout the match.
News & Notes:
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The Rebels, who are led by first-year head coach Malia Shoji, returned 11 letterwinners from last season's team.
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UNLV, which has been named the preseason league favorite along with Utah State in a poll voted on by the conference's head coaches, has added five new players to their 2023 roster.
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2022 Mountain West Player of the Year Isabel Martin was also named the 2023 Preseason MW Player of the Year.
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Also returning are last season's all-conference honorees: senior outside hitter Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos and senior middle blocker Jordyn Freeman.
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Martin also earned all-region honors last season and was named an honorable mention All-American.
- UNLV went 26-5 overall in 2022, including a 17-1 record in Mountain West play, and made another NCAA Tournament appearance.
NEXT FOR THE REBELS: UNLV will again play on the road next week as it travels to Seattle, Washington, to compete at the University of Washington Tournament. The Rebels will face Memphis on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 2 p.m. and play two matches on Friday, Sept. 8 (vs. Florida International at 11 a,m. and host Washington at 7 p.m.). Stream and live stat links will be available via a link at UNLVRebels.com.
HOME OPENER: UNLV will host its first home match on Tuesday, Sept. 12 against Southern Utah before welcoming Coppin State, Portland and Lamar to the Cox Pavilion at the UNLV Tournament Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 14-16. The full season schedule may be found here.
UNLV SEASON TICKETS: Season tickets for UNLV volleyball are on sale now and may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com or by calling 702-739-FANS (3267). Season tickets are $50 for adults (13 and older), and $40 for active alumni, seniors, and faculty and staff.
