HOUSTON (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball team rounded out their weekend with a match against Rice on Saturday, closing out the second Rice Invitational. The teams traded punch-for-punch with each set being decided by five or less points, but the Owls would overcome the Rebels for the program's first loss of the season.
The Scarlet & Gray (4-1) fell to Rice (4-1) on a final score of 3-1, the sets being split on scores of 25-20, 25-22, 21-25 and 25-22. The two programs were evenly matched on the offensive front, UNLV posting a .275 hitting percentage in comparison to Rice's .274 rate.
Two Rebels made historic marks in the Saturday match, etching two entries into different statistical categories on the UNLV Volleyball All-Time Career record book.
Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos emerged in the program's top-10 in kills with her team-leading 15 against Rice, the fifth-year senior now totaling 936 in her career. The other top-10 entry came from the defensive side,
Jordyn Freeman tying the no. 10 all-time slot with Candice Thomas with 49 solo blocks. Freeman hosted another strong block day on the frontline for UNLV, tallying four solo blocks for a single-game career-high for the Rebels. She would total six blocks in the match with two block assists.
UNLV's offense showcased strong attackers on the front,
Chloe Thomas also notching a big performance with 13 kills and a .440 hitting percentage, only bested by Arretche-Ramos' .452 rate in the match. Freeman and
Dakota Quinlan each put together eight kills in the Saturday showdown, Freeman pushing a strong hitting percentage in her own right at .375.
The Rebels picked up eight other blocks outside of Freeman's six,
Rheanna Deen-Jackson earning a solo block and three assists in the middle. Quinlan also found three block assists in the match and
Basia Latos tallied the final two assists on the roster.
Caleigh King stood as the Rebels' top dig collector in the match, picking up 16 of the team's 52. Quinlan and
Olivia Mikkelsen would each pick up six or more digs in the match, the former at eight and the latter at seven.
Arien Fafard would guide the Scarlet & Gray's offense with 24 assists, Mikkelsen assisting on 19 kills in the match as well. King would put together her second-straight game of five or more assists as the Rebels' starting libero, posting six against the Owls.
UP NEXT
The Rebels will head back to Las Vegas and aim to bounce back in their next home tournament, Dig in the Desert. They'll play host to Cal Poly and North Texas, facing off against both teams in the three-day event from Thursday, Sept. 12 through Saturday, Sept. 14. UNV will first play against Cal Poly on that Thursdayday at 6 p.m. PT.
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