LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV volleyball team opened Mountain West play Thursday night with another match that came down to the wire, but the Rebels were unable to close it out. The Rebels fell to UC Davis, 3-2, at The Pavilion, dropping a five-set battle, 21-25, 25-13, 25-20, 22-25, 14-16. The loss moved the Rebels to 4-8 overall and 0-1 in Mountain West play, while UC Davis improved to 5-7 and 1-0 in league competition.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The defeat was a particularly difficult one for UNLV after the Rebels had won four of their previous five matches and captured The Rebel Challenge championship with three victories the previous weekend. Thursday's contest marked UNLV's sixth five-set match of the season, with the Rebels now holding a 2-4 record in matches that have gone the distance.
Despite the result, UNLV produced one of its most efficient offensive performances of the season. The Rebels recorded 56 kills on 146 attacks and hit .281, their second-highest team hitting percentage of the season. UC Davis finished with 59 kills on 162 attacks while hitting .210.
UNLV also held the advantage at the net, recording 12 total blocks to UC Davis' 11, while the Rebels finished with 59 digs compared with 57 for the Aggies. UC Davis held advantages in service aces, 7-5, and assists, 48-46.
Jaida Harris led the Rebels with 18 kills at a .318 clip on 44 attempts and added 10 digs, four total blocks and two service aces. Basia Latos added 13 kills, four assists and four digs, while Rheanna Deen-Jackson contributed eight kills on just 15 attacks and hit .333. Jada Ingram was particularly efficient, recording seven kills without an attack error on 16 swings for a team-best .438 hitting percentage. The Rebels also received five kills apiece from Kamryn Scroggins and Logan Lindsay. Scroggins was especially efficient, putting down five kills on 10 attacks without an error for a .500 hitting percentage while directing the UNLV offense with 33 assists.
Scroggins' 33 assists helped the Rebels generate 56 kills while committing just 15 attack errors. UNLV's .281 hitting percentage was its best mark since hitting .294 in the third set of its Sept. 18 sweep of Southeastern Louisiana. Defensively, Arrie Brown paced the Rebels with 14 digs, while Caleigh King added 13. King also contributed seven assists and two service aces.
UC Davis was led by Isabella Umpierre, who recorded a team-high 16 kills. Umpierre also added 11 digs, three service aces and 19.5 points. Ally Chandler added 11 kills while hitting .474, and Ana Stojanovic finished with 10 kills. Setter Mia Starr directed the Aggies with 39 assists and added nine digs, while Ximena Cordero Barr anchored the back row with 15 digs.
The match featured significant momentum swings, but UNLV's offensive efficiency was a major positive. The Rebels hit .448 in the second set and .308 in the third, combining for 25 kills against only four errors across those two frames. UNLV also finished the fourth set with a .345 hitting percentage and the fifth at .227.
The fifth set ultimately decided the match by the slimmest of margins. After the teams battled through a tense deciding frame, UC Davis reached match point at 14-13. UNLV answered to level the score at 14-all, but the Aggies scored the final two points to escape with the 16-14 victory.
UP NEXT: UNLV will close out its two-match series with UC Davis on Saturday, September 26 at 1 pm at The Pavilion.
