LAS VEGAS (unlvrebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team (4-1) return to Cox Pavilion this weekend for the program's second hosted invitational of the season labeled as the 'Dig in the Desert' tournament.
 
The Rebels will face off in two matches across the three-day stretch, first battling Cal Poly on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. PT. UNLV will have the next day off from competing as Cal Poly and North Texas match up in a neutral contest on Friday, Sept. 13 before the Scarlet & Gray cap the weekend and tournament against North Texas on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. PT.
 
The Scarlet & Gray have had a strong start to the young season, claiming wins in their first four matches of the season before falling against a tough road opponent in Rice on a close 3-1 score. Prior to that match against the Owls, the Rebels picked up two consecutive sweeps against South Alabama and Pacific, the latter capping the Rebel Challenge Invitational that decided the Rebels as the top team from the event. During that invitational, UNLV also took down Iowa State and Northwestern in back-to-back five-set thrillers.
 
The Rebel offense is led by senior outside hitter Dakota Quinlan, averaging a team-high 3.13 points per set in the young season. Jordyn Freeman, the Mountain West's first Offensive Player of the Week in the 2024 season, sits closely behind Quinlan on a 3.08 points per set rate, posting a hitting percentage of .487 and totaling 1.4 blocks per set, both statistics ranking third in the Mountain West in their respective categories. The Scarlet & Gray have a spread offense with two other student-athletes averaging over two kills per set, Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos sitting at 2.5 after reaching UNLV's top-10 all-time in kills last weekend and Chloe Thomas averaging 2.05.
 
Alongside Freeman's seven solo blocks this season, Rheanna Deen-Jackson sits as the only other Rebel on roster with more than one through the team's first five games with four overall. The freshman averages .94 blocks so far this season, Caleigh King owning a 3.3 digs per rate mark in her second year as the Rebels' libero. King's defense also ranked her seventh in the Mountain West in digs per set, kicking off the offense through their two-setter system in Arien Fafard (five assists per set) and Olivia Mikkelsen (4.65). 
 
UNLV was slotted to finish fifth-place in this season's Mountain West Volleyball Preseason Poll, earning a first-place vote from the conference's head coaches. The team added five new student-athletes to their 2024 roster.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS:
 
Cal Poly (3-3)
The Mustangs have had a tough nonconference schedule to start 2024, facing off against three teams earning AVCA top-25 votes in No. 15 Florida State, no. 19 Arkansas and Auburn. The team recently came off a win in the 3-0 sweep over Troy, redshirt junior setter Emme Bullies collecting the Big West Setter of the Week honor. Cal Poly features other strong offensive weapons like Tommi Stockham, ranking third in the conference in kills per set (4.2) alongside her double-digit kill totals in every match so far this season. Cal Poly's offense will be one that the Rebels' defense will aim to stop, ranking third in the Big West for kills, hitting, and points.
 
North Texas (2-5)
The Mean Green have matched up against tough opponents in the young 2024 season as well, facing off earlier in the season against RV Miami and BigTen opponents like Rutgers and Maryland. North Texas outdoes their opponents on the attack with a .263 hitting percentage, Aryn Johnson and Coco Gillet both averaging more than three kills per set so far this season (3.68 and 3.16). Truli Levy leads the defense on the frontline with her .133 blocks per set rate, collecting five solo blocks on the season and 27 assists. 
 
WHERE TO WATCH:
Both Rebel matches will have live statistics being held through UNLV's site, their match against Cal Poly being streamed on the official UNLV Athletics YouTube channel. All links to how you can follow the Rebels on gameday can be found on the UNLV schedule here, as well as their social medias: Twitter / X, Instagram and Facebook.