LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV volleyball team (1-7) will make its home debut in The Pavilion this weekend with matches against Southeastern Louisiana (3-7), UC Irvine (1-8) and UC San Diego (3-6) during The Rebel Challenge. The three-day tournament begins Friday and continues through Sunday afternoon.

REBEL CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Friday, September 18
Southeastern Louisiana vs. UC Irvine - 2 pm
Southeastern Louisiana at UNLV - 6 pm

Saturday, September 19
Southeastern Louisiana vs. UC San Diego - 11 am
UC Irvine at UNLV - 2 pm

Sunday, September 20
UC San Diego at UNLV - 1 pm

PROMOTION: As part of home opening tournament, free posters and player jersey stickers will be given to fans at the marketing table near the entrance while supplies last. Along with that, the UNLV volleyball players will toss mini UNLV volleyballs to fans in the stands prior to the match.

WATCH ON MW+: Fans have a new way to follow the Rebels through MW+, the Mountain West's direct-to-consumer digital subscription platform. Each of UNLV volleyball's 12 home matches will be available on the service, along with live events across MW sports, on-demand replays, original programming and exclusive content. A majority of each subscription purchased through UNLV's dedicated MW+ page directly supports UNLV Athletics. Fans may subscribe by clicking here.

UNLV VERSUS THE FIELD
All-time vs. SLU: 1-0             All-time vs. UC Irvine: 7-5         All-time vs. UCSD: 3-1-1
Streak: W1                            Streak: W1                                Streak: W3
First meeting: 9/11/15           First Meeting: 10/5/84                First Meeting: 1979
Last Meeting: 9/11/15           Last Meeting: 9/11/25                 Last Meeting: 9/19/24

PRESEASON MW POLL
UNLV was picked to finish sixth in the 2026 Mountain West Preseason Coaches' Poll, with redshirt junior outside hitter Jaida Harris being named the MW Preseason Player of the Year.

FACING A FAMILIAR TEAM
Head coach Malia Shoji, who graduated from UC San Diego, will face the Tritons for the second time in three seasons. The previous meeting was a neutral site match in Los Angeles, where UNLV came out on top, 3-2.

BASIA LATOS CAREER MILESTONES
Junior outside hitter Basia Latos collected four blocks at the Linda Murphy Ridge Invitational, and she now has 101 career blocks (95 block assists, 6 solo blocks). She is also 14 assists away from 50 in her career and 27 kills away from 600 in her career. Latos was also named to the Linda Murphy Ridge Invitational All-Tournament Team after she collected 56 kills (3.73 kills per set), 32 digs (2.13 digs per set) and three matches of 17+ kills.

UPCOMING MILESTONES
Jaida Harris is 57 kills away from 500 in her career at UNLV.
Malia Shoji is two wins away from 50 in her career.
Caleigh King is 11 service aces away from 100 in her career and 21 assists away from 400 in her career.
Rheanna Deen-Jackson is 12 blocks away from 250 in her career.
Kamryn Scorggins is 292 assists away from 2,500 in her career.
 

HARRIS HOME
Las Vegas native Jaida Harris enters her second season in the Scarlet & Gray after earning MW Newcomer of the Year accolades in 2025. The outside hitter saw her name in several top MW-only statistical categories, including third in points (297.5), fourth in kills (254), tied for fourth in service aces (22), fifth in points per set (4.25) and tied for fifth in both kills per set (3.63) and service aces per set (0.31). Harris led the Scarlet & Gray in four of those aforementioned figures as well as attack attempts (696). Overall, Harris led the team in kills (370), points (439.0), kills per set (3.52) and total attacks (1,012).

ALL HAIL CALEIGH KING
Senior libero Caleigh King enters her fourth season with UNLV and was one of three Rebels to step on the court in all 105 sets in 2025. King became the seventh member of the 1,000-dig club last season, and joined the program's top ten career service aces with 84 career services aces. She earned a season-high 396 digs on 3.77 digs per set as well as 148 assists on 1.41 assists per set. King tallied the second-most digs in MW play (279), averaging 3.99 digs per set. Additionally, the Southlake, Texas native picked up double-digit digs in 21 of the 28 matches, including five matches of 20+ digs and 12 matches of 15+ digs.

NEWBIES MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Kamryn Scroggins and Arrie Brown have made an impact in the lineup in their first season in the Scarlet & Gray. The former, who sat out last season at North Texas, leads the Rebels in assists (180), assists per set (5.81), while the latter, a freshman outside hitter from Tulsa, Oklahoma, ranks second on the team in digs (74) and digs per set (2.47.

JUNIOR DUO BAAAAAAACK
Middle blocker Rheanna Deen-Jackson and outside hitter Basia Latos return for their third season in the Scarlet & Gray. Deen-Jackson led the UNLV with a team-best 123 total blocks with 105 block assists and 18 solo blocks, all career highs last season. She averaged 1.18 blocks per set, identical to her freshman campaign, and tallied a career-high 158 kills, averaging 1.52 kills per set. The Houston, Texas native tacked on career-highs of 47 digs, 18 service aces, 15 assists and 246.5 points.

Latos, who was named an All-Mountain West Honorable Mention in 2024, was one of three Rebels to play in all 105 sets during the 2025 season. The Lazy, Poland native had a total of 224 kills with 10 matches of 10 or more, including a season-high 15 in the season opener against Iowa (Aug. 29). Latos had six matches above a .300 hitting efficiency (minimum five kills) with a season-high .476 (12-2-21) against UNR (Oct. 2).

COMING HOME
In addition to Las Vegas native Jaida Harris and Brooklynn Williams, Henderson native Julie Beckham arrives for her freshman campaign in the Scarlet & Gray. The outside hitter was one of the most productive attackers in her program's history at Coronado High School, closing out her career as the first player ever to eclipse 1,000 career kills, finishing with 1,154 over three varsity years. A three-time First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region honoree, she helped lead her team to three straight 5A State Runner-Up finishes (2023, 2024, 2025) while serving as varsity captain.

FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE DESERT
Junior opposite hitter Cami Christiansen enters her first season at UNLV having spent two seasons at Snow College. The Cedar Hills, Utah native led her team in total kills with 271 at a .234 hitting percentage. She was second on the team in total blocks with 67 block assists and 18 solo blocks. 

OFFSEASON STORYLINES
-11 returners for the 2026 roster after 11 newcomers for the 2025 roster
-Jada Ingram returns after missing the 2025 conference schedule due to a season ending ankle injury
-Caleigh King returns for senior season and is now currently the lone Rebel to play  in her 4th season

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and state of Texas at large is arguably the most fertile volleyball recruiting ground in the country, and head coach Malis Shoji has made retaining the region's top prep prospects a priority since day one. Of the 19 Horned Frogs on the 2026 roster, seven call the Lone Star State home.

TWO NEW ASSISTANT COACHES
Malia Shoji and UNLV announced a pair of new assistant coaches for the 2026 volleyball season, with Matt Kuelpman and Lauren Jardine-Clark being named Assistant Coaches. Kuelpman brings nine years of collegiate coaching experience and has coached and developed 19 First Team All-Conference selections, six professional athletes, five All-Americans and All-America honorable mentions, and three conference players of the year or MVPs. Kuelpman most recently spent three seasons at the University of New Mexico (2023-25) as the Lobos' offensive coordinator. Jardine-Clark joins the Scarlet & Gray following a successful professional career in Major League Volleyball (MLV), where she played for the Grand Rapids Rise and currently plays for the Vegas Thrill. A former standout at the University of Utah and University of Wisconsin, Jardine was part of the 2021 NCAA Championship team before transferring to Utah beginning in 2022 where Shoji was the Associate Head Coach for the Utes.

PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets for the 2026 volleyball season are on sale now and can be purchased online at UNLVTickets.com. Fans can also get their tickets in person at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office or by calling 702-739-FANS (3267). Season tickets are only $50 for adults, seniors (62+), faculty and staff are $40 for seniors (62+). Kids 12 and under & Nevada School Aged Students with their valid School I.D. are free and must claim a free ticket upon entry. All seating is general admission. All tickets will be delivered as mobile.