LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team (3-0) will make their way to Houston this upcoming weekend for its second invitational of the season, competing in the second Rice Invitational.
 
The Scarlet & Gray will be facing off against two opponents over the course of the invitational, competing against South Alabama and the host, Rice. The team will play against the Jaguars first on Friday, Sept. 6 and the Owls on Saturday, Sept. 7. Both games are set with a start time of 11 a.m. PT.
 
The Rebels kicked off the year undefeated in their first three games for the second time in the last three seasons, second-year head coach Malia Shoji and company taking down Northwestern, Iowa State and Pacific last week in the Rebel Challenge. The Scarlet & Gray currently top the Mountain West standings after the opening weekend, being one of three teams to stay unbeaten (UNLV, San Jose State, Wyoming) but the only program to collect three wins.
 
Jordyn Freeman emerged as one of the league's top offensive threats from the weekend, earning her first Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honor. Freeman ranked second out of all MW competitors with a .479 hitting percentage during the three-game stretch with 27 kills in total. The Scarlet & Gray's blocking gave their opponents plenty of trouble as well, ranking third in the conference in blocks per set at 2.62. Freeman also topped the team totals with a 1.31 average per set, freshman middle-blocker Rheanna Deen-Jackson made her mark as the only other athlete on the roster with double-digit blocks on the season (10).
 
The Rebels picked up votes in the recent AVCA/TARAFLEX NCAA DI Top 25 Poll, previously not appearing in the rankings during the organization's preseason release.
 
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:
 
South Alabama
The Jaguars split their opening weekend with two quick matches, sweeping McNeese State and was swept by Texas A&M. South Alabama's offensive weapons revolve around Abryanna Cannon and Sarah Gooch, Cannon earning 12 double-digit kill matches in 2023 and currently leads the team with 3.33 kills per set rate. Anna Loberg was the team's main setter last weekend, hoisting 46 assists in her six sets played while also collecting four service aces. UNLV will look to overcome the Jaguar defense, South Alabama collecting only 10 team blocks in the opening weekend and allowing opponents to post an attacking percentage of .258.
 
Rice
After having a 2-0 opening weekend, the Owls swept all three of the American Athletic Conference weekly honors before falling to No. 23 Baylor earlier this week. Nina McCardell won the defensive honor as she holds the top conference average in digs per set, holding a 5.64 rate as the program's libero. Savannah Skopal kicked off her collegiate career with Freshman of the Week honors, emerging as Rice's main setter and collecting 95 assists in her first two matches. Skopal's sets helped offensive weapons such as Lademi Ogunlana hit over .400 in the team's first three matches of the year, ranking fifth in the conference at a .404 rate.
 
WHERE TO WATCH:
UNLV will only have one match this weekend available to watch, the match against South Alabama this weekend only hosting live statistics. The Rebels' faceoff against Rice will be aired on ESPN+, which can be found on the UNLV schedule here.