NORTHRIDGE, Calif. (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV volleyball battled through their third consecutive five-set match Saturday afternoon at the Linda Murphy Ridge Invitational, rallying past Fresno State, 3-2, at Premier America Credit Union Arena to snap a six-match losing streak to begin the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The victory was fueled by an offensive performance that saw UNLV (1-6) finish with 60 kills while hitting .180 as a team, compared with 56 kills and a .147 hitting percentage for Fresno State (3-5). The Rebels also held significant advantages in assists, 56-51, and digs, 91-82, while both teams finished with 80 total points. Fresno State held narrow advantages in blocks, 27-21, and service aces, 10-8.
After UNLV won sets one (25-22) and two (26-24), Fresno State responded winning sets three (25-20) and four (25-19) to force a five and final set. The Rebels entered the fifth set down 5-1 and went on a 4-0 run to tie it up, 5-5, highlighted by a pair of Caleigh King service aces and a Logan Lindsay kill. After both teams exchanged the next eight points for a 9-9 tie, the Scarlet & Gray would go on a 4-0 to extend its lead to 12-9. The Bulldogs answered with a point to make it 12-10 UNLV, but the Rebel defense came up with another crucial stop. Harris and Rheanna Deen-Jackson combined to force an attack error from Fresno State's Jenna Legault, giving the Rebels a 13-10 advantage. FSU would not go quietly, pulling within 14-11, but Basia Latos delivered the final blow, recording her 20th kill of the afternoon to give UNLV the 15-11 victory and, more importantly, its first win of the season.
Latos once again provided the offensive spark, delivering a team-high 20 kills on 59 attacks while adding 13 digs and a team-best 21 points. It marked Latos' third consecutive match with at least 17 kills and gave her 54 kills over UNLV's last three matches. Latos was joined by a pair of Rebels who reached double figures in kills. Harris finished with 10 kills, nine digs and two block assists, while Lindsay also recorded 10 kills and added four blocks and 13 points.
The Scarlet & Gray also received a strong contribution from the middle. Deen-Jackson posted eight kills while hitting .227 and turned in a team-high six blocks. Jada Ingram added seven kills while hitting .333 and chipped in four blocks, giving UNLV a formidable presence at the net.
Behind the attack, Kamryn Scroggins orchestrated the offense with 29 assists and 19 digs, good enough for her third straight double-double. Alexa Ankerstar also supplied 15 assists and seven digs.
Defensively, King turned a match-high 26 digs, four service aces and four assists. Her four aces accounted for half of UNLV's total. Arrie Brown added 10 digs, giving UNLV five players with at least nine digs.
UP NEXT: The Rebels will close the Linda Murphy Ridge Invitational Sunday against San Francisco, with first serve scheduled for 11 am.
