Quick Facts/Roster UNLV Volleyball Media Guide

Transcription

1

2 Quick Facts/Roster 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide 27 Volleyball Quick Facts GENERAL INFORMATION Location Las Vegas, Nev. Founded Enrollment , Colors Scarlet & Gray Nickname Rebels Conference Mountain West Affiliation NCAA Division I President (as of July 1)......Dr. David B. Ashley Athletics Director Mike Hamrick SWA Lisa Kelleher VOLLEYBALL INFORMATION Head Coach Allison Keeley Alma Mater Carleton College, 9 Record at UNLV , Three Years Career Div. I Record , Six Years Assistant Coach...Elaini Kollias (Concordia, 96) Assistant Coach...Samuel Shweisky (Vassar, 1) Office Phone Facility Cox Pavilion (2,452) TEAM INFORMATION 26 Record MWC Record MWC Finish th Postseason N/A Final Ranking N/A Starters Returning/Lost Libero/1 Letterwinners Returning/Lost /3 Newcomers SPORTS INFORMATION Volleyball Contact Jeffrey Seals jeff.seals@unlv.edu Office Phone Cell Phone Office Fax Press Row Phone Internet Address Note: Please remember that UNLV (acronym on all references) is home to the REBEL volleyball team. Only the men s basketball team at UNLV is nicknamed the RUNNIN REBELS. 27 UNLV Numerical Roster ## NAME POS HT YR-EXP HOMETOWN / LAST SCHOOL 1 Kela Lau Hee L 5-3 FR-HS Pukalani, Hawaii/Kamehameha HS 2 Brittani Lumsden OH 5-11 SR-3V Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS 3 Melody Nua S 5-7 JR-2V Long Beach, Calif./Lakewood HS 4 Camille Cunningham L/S 5-8 JR-2V La Canada, Calif./La Canada HS 5 Kelsey Keeler OH 6-2 FR-HS Concord, Calif./Clayton Valley HS 6 Maria Aladjova OH 5-11 SR-3V Sofia, Bulgaria/Narodni Buditeli HS 7 Jada Walker L 5-5 SR-3V Palmdale, Calif./Littlerock HS 8 Alyssa Erickson S 5-9 FR-HS San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos HS 9 Samantha Noland MB 6-3 SO-1V Moraga, Calif./Campolindo HS 1 Lauren Miramontes MB 6-3 SR-3V Upland, Calif./Upland HS 12 Gerryn Moran OH 5-9 JR-TR Torrance, Calif./Xavier Univ. of Louisiana 14 Tabitha Mabrey L 5-8 FR-HS Coeur d Alene, Idaho/Lake City HS 15 Jessica Walters OH/S 5-1 SO-1V Ashland, Ore./Ashland HS 16 Jeralynn Makaiwi L 5- FR-HS Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge HS 18 Erin Greenwood MB 6-4 SO-1V Woodway, Wash./Edmonds Woodway HS 2 Sara Nehf OH 5-11 FR-HS Centennial, Colo./Grandview HS 21 Mercedes Winchester MB 5-11 FR-HS Walnut, Calif./Walnut HS 22 Saulie-Ann Wong OH 6- FR-HS Hanapepe, Hawaii./Waimea HS Alphabetical ## NAME 6 Aladjova, Maria 4 Cunningham, Camille 8 Erickson, Alyssa 18 Greenwood, Erin 5 Keeler, Kelsey 1 Lau Hee, Kela 2 Lumsden, Brittani 14 Mabrey, Tabitha 16 Makaiwi, Jeralynn 1 Miramontes, Lauren 12 Moran, Gerryn 2 Nehf, Sara 9 Noland, Samantha 2 Nua, Melody 7 Walker, Jada 15 Walters, Jessica 21 Winchester, Mercedes 22 Wong, Saulie-Ann By Class Seniors (4) Juniors (3) Maria Aladjova Camille Cunningham Lauren Miramontes Melody Nua Brittani Lumsden Gerryn Moran Jada Walker Sophomores (3) Freshmen (8) Erin Greenwood Alyssa Erickson Samantha Noland Kelsey Keeler Jessica Walters Kela Lau Hee Tabitha Mabrey Jeralynn Makaiwi Sara Nehf Saulie-Ann Wong Mercedes Winchester Pronunciation Guide Maria Aladjova ah-lad-JOH-vuh Lauren Miramontes.....MEER-ah-mon-tez Jeralynn Makaiwi.jair-ah-lynn mock-uh-ee-vee Gerryn Moran JAIR-n Kela Lau Hee kell-uh Sara Nehf neff Melody Nua new-uh Saulie-Ann Wong SAUL-ee By Position Setters (2) Libero (5) Melody Nua Jada Walker Alyssa Erickson Camille Cunningham Kela Lau Hee Jeralynn Makaiwi Tabitha Mabrey Middle Blockers (4) Outside Hitters (7) Lauren Miramontes Maria Aladjova Samantha Noland Brittani Lumsden Erin Greenwood Gerryn Moran Mercedes Winchester Jessica Walters Kelsey Keeler Sara Nehf Saulie-Ann Wong 2

3 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide Introduction Only Vegas Quick Facts / Roster Table of Contents Las Vegas Living Cox Pavilion Academics Equipment Strength & Conditioning Sports Medicine Head Coach Allison Keeley Assistant Coaches & Team Manager Outlook Meet The Rebels Maria Aladjova Brittani Lumsden Lauren Miramontes Jada Walker Camille Cunningham / Gerryn Moran Melody Nua / Samantha Noland Erin Greenwood / Jessica Walters Alyssa Erickson / Kelsey Keeler / Kela Lau Hee Tabitha Mabrey / Jeralynn Makaiwi / Sara Nehf Mercedes Winchester / Saulie-Ann Wong Returning Players / Freshman Action Shots Opponents Opponent Pages Review 26 Review Final Statistics / Results Final Mountain West Standings / Awards / Statistics History Yearly Results Season / Match Records Individual Records / Award Winners Career Records Single-Season Records All-Time Letterwinners All-Time Results All-Time History Media Services UNLV Sports Information Local Media Mountain West Conference This Is UNLV UNLV President Dr. David B. Ashley Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick Athletics Administration Athletic Programs Lied Athletic Complex Athletic Facilities Rebel Athletic Fund (RAF) UNLV Hall of Fame Rebel Rundown Notable Rebels Las Vegas By The Numbers Table of Contents UNLV Volleyball MWC Tournament For the third straight year, Las Vegas and the Cox Pavilion will play host to the Mountain West Conference Volleyball Championship from Nov On The Covers The 27 UNLV Volleyball media cover features the four seniors (pictured clockwise: Jada Walker, Maria Aladjova, Lauren Miramontes and Brittani Lumsden). The inside front cover features the four seniors and their quotes about their experience at UNLV. The inside back cover features the junior, sophomore and freshmen classes. The back cover features the 27 schedule and five returning key contributors (Melody Nua, Samantha Noland, Erin Greenwood, Jessica Walters and Camille Cunningham). Media Guide Credits The 27 UNLV Volleyball media guide is a publication of the UNLV Sports Information Office. Principal writing, editing, design and layout by Sports Information Assistant Jeffrey Seals. Principal photography provided by Aaron Mayes and Geri Kodey of UNLV Photo Services. Additional photography provided by Steve Spatafore of Sportography, Elaini Kollias, Brian Albertson, Bryan Haines and Jummel Hidrosollo. Selected campus shots courtesy of UNLV Publications / Reprographics. Graphics design by UNLV Athletics Graphics Art Manager Paul Palmer. Editorial assistance provided by Elaini Kollias and Mark Wallington. Printed by Graphics West of Las Vegas. 3

4 Las Vegas Living 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide Las Vegas, which celebrated its centennial in 25, is one of the fastest growing communities in the world. 4

5 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide Cox Pavilion The UNLV volleyball team received a new home in 21 in the $16.8 million Cox Pavilion. The pavilion is a 78,3 square-foot, multi-purpose, state-ofthe-art venue connected to the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus. Cox Communications and the Thomas & Mack Center formed a partnership that brought the new facility to UNLV and the Las Vegas Community. As part of a $5 million agreement, Cox Communications secured the naming rights for the facility as well as opportunities for sponsorship and hospitality. Former UNLV President Dr. Carol Harter stated when it opened, We are pleased that Cox, a relatively new member of the Southern Nevada corporate community, has chosen to take an active role in supporting both academics and athletics at UNLV. The new Cox Pavilion, like Cox s donation of television equipment and their annual support for a new cable television education channel, will benefit the community in many ways. The pavilion is a two-level structure. The ground floor features men s and women s locker facilities, player lounges and practice courts for basketball and volleyball. The top level is a multi-purpose venue with a seating capacity for 2,8 and features padded, retractable seating throughout. The Cox Pavilion plays host to all Rebel volleyball home matches, as well as Lady Rebel basketball games. The Cox Pavilion features the best volleyball venue in the country and our athletes love to play in the bright arena with the home crowd support, said Allison Keeley, UNLV s volleyball head coach. The size creates an intimate viewing venue where our fans feel like they are part of the match. We appreciate the effort on the behalf of UNLV to showcase our team in such a spectacular setting. The Cox Pavilion is one of the finest facilities in the nation for college volleyball, said Mike Hamrick, UNLV's director of athletics. It creates a strong home-court advantage for our team, along with giving our coaches the ability to keep our teams competitive and attract some of the top recruits to UNLV. The lower level of the Cox Pavilion features practice courts for volleyball and basketball. 5

6 Academics 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide UNLV volleyball turned in another impressive season in the classroom in 26, highlighted by placing seven members on the Academic AllMountain West Conference team. That total ranked third among all league teams last season. It also marked the fifth consecutive year that at least five Rebels appeared on the academic team. In fact, academic advising for volleyball has helped produce 49 such honorees since the school joined the MWC in Kim Underwood Academic Advisor Also, three Rebel volleyball players earned spots in the UNLV Dean s List in the 26 fall semester alone. An impressive nine players boasted 3. GPA s after the spring and middle blocker Erin Greenwood (pictured below with UNLV Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick) was named her team s Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the 28th Annual Scholar-Athlete Honors Luncheon. UNLV maintains an academic support system for its student-athletes that is designed to ensure success on and off the fields of play. Housed in the Flora Dungan Humanities Building (FDH), academic advisors work with the 17 men s and women s sports ensuring student-athletes receive personalized care regarding their progress in education. Advisors work with their sport-specific student-athletes in scheduling, tutoring, degree progress and NCAA eligibility. Providing even greater challenges, students who maintain a 3.5 grade point average can apply for entrance into UNLV s honor program. Rebels on the Dean s List Kristin Koochi Mariana Pencheva Jessica Walters UNLV s MWC Scholar-Athletes Erin Greenwood Jessica Walters 25-6 Anna Casares Ashley Flahaven Erin Greenwood 24-5 Maria Aladjova Ashley Flahaven Patricia Assuncao 22-3 Patricia Assuncao Shannon Chase Jodi Hendricks Amy Lewis Leiana Oswald UNLV Academic All-Conference MWC Maria Aladjova Erin Greenwood Kristin Koochi Brittani Lumsden Samantha Noland Jada Walker Jessica Walters 25 - MWC Maria Aladjova Anna Casares Camille Cunningham Ashley Flahaven Kristin Koochi Brittani Lumsden Melody Nua Mariana Pencheva Kortney Reid Jada Walker 24 - MWC Maria Aladjova Ashley Flahaven Kristin Koochi Brittani Lumsden Marisa Okomoto Mariana Pencheva Jada Walker 23 - MWC Stacy Dunklau Nina Franchini Michelle Johnson Kristin Koochi Leiana Oswald 22 - MWC Patricia Assuncao Shannon Chase Sarah Fachner Nina Franchini Adriana Franco Tarin Keith Christina Kirschner Amy Lewis Tera Mayes Leiana Oswald 21 - MWC Patricia Assuncao Shannon Chase Nine Franchini Amy Lewis Leiana Oswald 2 - MWC Patricia Assuncao Shannon Chase Leiana Oswald MWC Maria Julie Goes Angie Sylvas WAC Amy Ellenwood WAC Amy Ellenwood Wendy Saxton

7 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide Equipment The Rebels equipment operations became bigger and better in 1996 when the department moved to the Lied Athletic Complex. The Lied Athletic Complex s 1,-square-foot, two-sided equipment room gives all 17 UNLV sports the services of an immense facility designed with the student-athlete in mind. Tausha Smith Assistant Equipment Manager In one of the 19 team and staff locker rooms, players and coaches can simply drop off their uniforms at the end of practice or competition. The next day a clean version will be waiting for pickup in personally assigned lockers located in a wall surrounding the equipment room. In the Cox Pavilion, the volleyball team has its own designated locker room. The locker room features a lounge (pictured below) comprised of chairs, a leather couch and a big screen television. In the locker room itself (pictured right), there are lockers for each individual player. The coaches have their own separate locker room, as well. UNLV Would Like To Thank The Following For Their Continued Support Of Rebel Volleyball 7

8 Strength & Conditioning 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide With the opening of the Lied Athletic Complex in 1996, the strength and conditioning program continues to grow in philosophical scope, as well as physical size. The twolevel strength facility, which was later renamed the Ernie Becker Sr. Strength & Conditioning Center, is three times as large as the previous quarters and includes all new equipment and a plyometric area to best help develop student-athletes. Jodi Sabataso Assistant Strength & Conditioning Director Complete with three offices, two restrooms and a storage area, the 8,5 square-foot deck features free weights, power racks and Olympian platforms. UNLV s facility houses more than 6 weight stations and Hammer Strength machines. The 1,2 square-foot second level offers stretching and aerobic areas catered to each sport. The room also features a premium sound system to further enhance the workout experience. Just outside the weight room is a newly covered agility drills area which features 3, square-foot of artificial turf. More than 6 weight stations cover the state-of-the-art flooring inside the Ernie Becker Sr. Strength & Conditioning Center. 8 A recent addition, the covered drills area (left) features 3, feet of artificial turf.

9 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide Sports Medicine Ann Dovenmuehler Assistant Athletic Trainer Dave Kragness Graduate Intern Athletic Trainer Day-to-day preventative medicine on the campus was made easier with the opening of the Marilyn and Si Redd Sports Medicine Complex. The stateof-the-art operation is a major part of the $8.5 million Lied Athletic facility, which opened in August of Made possible by a generous gift of $1.5 million by Marilyn and Si Redd, the athletic training facility incorporates the total scope of sports medicine over and 8,5-square-foot area. The Marilyn & Si Redd Sports Medicine Complex sprawls over an 8,5-square-foot area. Aside from five staff offices, a rehabilitation room houses a dozen pieces of equipment including Cybex stationary bicycles, stair machines and treadmills, all under a natural skylight. The largest area features a dozen tables to offer student-athletes various treatments throughout the day. Taping, padding and bracing all take place in another all-inclusive room. Finally, an aquatic therapy room features three above-ground whirlpools surrounding a 1-feet deep pool for rehabilitative exercises. All of these features make it possible for UNLV student-athletes to rehabilitate injuries without ever needing to leave the Lied Athletic Complex. Other amenities include a physician s office and exam room to provide daily medical service for student-athletes. A drug-testing facility also is part of the new complex. This expedites medical care because the student-athletes health care is self-contained. A skylight welcomes natural light into the rehabilitation room. Also, UNLV s academic program and its student athletic trainers benefit from a sports medicine library, study room and conference facility. Aside from being four time larger than our former facility, says Kyle Wilson, UNLV s Director of Athletic Training. This is one of the top complexes in the nation because of the versatility it offers to service student-athletes in every area of sports medicine. We re now more efficient, more accessible and more effective in preventing and rehabilitating athletic injuries. An aquatic therapy room includes a rehabilitative pool. 9

10 Head Coach The Keeley File Year School Record 26 UNLV* UNLV* UNLV* Villanova* Villanova* Villanova* UNLV Volleyball Media Guide Year School Record 2 Southern Arkansas Southern Arkansas Southern Arkansas Total Nine Years * NCAA Division I (Six Years) Allison Keeley Head Coach Fourth Year at UNLV Record at UNLV: 5-37 Overall Record: Allison Keeley enters her fourth season as the head coach of the Rebels. After three years on the job, Keeley has the UNLV volleyball program on the right track following three consecutive seasons of 15 or more victories, including 26 s tally of 2. She has also guided the team to three straight semifinal appearances in the Mountain West Conference Tournament. In 26, the Rebels won 2 matches for only the third time in school history. The 2 victories included a six-match winning streak that led the Rebels to a 8-2 mark to open up the season, while two four-match streaks followed during the year. One of the highlights of the season was guiding UNLV to its first Las Vegas victory over Colorado State on Nov. 12. In MWC action, the squad finished fourth for the third straight year with a 1-6 record. In 25, Keeley s squad closed out the season with a overall and 1-6 in the MWC (fourth place), but came within one point of playing in the program s first-ever MWC Championship match. The team showed its resiliency when it was down two games to none in the tournament semifinals to BYU. UNLV evened the score at two games apiece and came within a point of the championship match in the decisive fifth game. In 24, Keeley brought to life a program that between 1978 and 23 had only four winning seasons in 14 years of play (no team was fielded from and ). The squad finished the 4 season with a record and the program s highest finish in MWC play (fourth) with an 8-6 mark. In her three seasons at UNLV, she has produced one AVCA All-West Region Honorable Mention selection (Lauren Miramontes in 25), four all-conference members (Nicki King in 24, Miramontes and Maria Aladjova in 25 and 26, and Jada Walker in 26) and three all-tournament picks (King and Walker in 24 and Aladjova in 25). In 24, Aladjova was named the MWC s Co-Freshman of the Year, while Walker won the Sportsmanship Award. Besides coaching success on the court, Keeley s players have also excelled in the classroom. In her three years at UNLV, Keeley has produced 24 Academic All-Mountain West Conference selections, which includes a league-high 1 in 25. Prior to coming to UNLV, Keeley was the head coach at Villanova University from Keeley helped rejuvenate the Wildcat program and left Philadelphia, Pa., with a record. She helped move the Wildcats from the bottom of the Big East into a position of playing in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Her finest season in Philadelphia came in 22 when the Wildcats went and improved 11 matches over the previous year s squad. Allison took a struggling program that had finished last to the upper echelon of the Big East Conference, said Mike Hamrick, Director of UNLV Athletics upon hiring Keeley. Her background indicates a coach that has taken poor programs to a much higher level. The quote by Hamrick could not have been more precise as Keeley took a UNLV program that in the five seasons prior to her arrival had won 52 of its 14 matches. Those numbers include 23 s season in which the team finished four-matches under.5. Being on the West Coast, you can play some of the best teams in the country and it was a competitive opportunity that I couldn t pass up, Keeley said when hired on Jan. 3, 24. Throughout her coaching career, Keeley s squads have experienced success. Before her three years at Villanova, Keeley was the head coach at Southern Arkansas University, a NCAA Division-II school, for three years. In her first year at SAU, the team finished third in the Gulf South Conference. From , she was the head coach at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and her teams qualified for postseason play twice in three years. At Villanova her team averaged a 3.2 grade-point-average over two years with many of her players earning conference academic awards. Keeley graduated in 199 from Carleton College with a B.A. in political science while also earning all-conference honors as a setter on the volleyball team. She earned her master s degree in education from Azusa Pacific in

11 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide Elaini Kollias Assistant Coach Prior to UNLV, she spent three years as a graduate assistant and assistant coach with West Virginia s volleyball team. During her time in West Virginia she was responsible for on-court coaching as well as actively recruiting the West Coast. Elaini Kollias enters her fourth season as an assistant coach with the Rebels. Kollias has been at UNLV for all three years of the resurgence of the program. In her three years assisting Allison Keeley, she has helped the Rebels to an overall mark of 5-37, which includes 26 s 2-1 mark. Elaini is extremely personable, has a ton of energy and a great work ethic, said UNLV head coach Allison Keeley. This combination of attributes makes her a great asset on the court and a tremendous recruiter. Before joining the Mountaineer staff, Kollias spent eight seasons as a head coach for the Saddleback Valley Volleyball Club, coaching various age levels. She also assisted in a number of volleyball summer camps over the years, including the Junior National Performance camp and the South Coast Beach Volleyball camp. Kollias started her playing career at Saddleback Junior College (Mission Viejo, Calif.) where she was named team MVP twice and was a two-time allconference member. She was later inducted into the Saddleback Hall of Fame. She then went on to play for Concordia University in Irvine, Calif., and set a school record for most kills in a match with 34. Kollias holds the career record for kills and is third in all-time assists for the Eagles. In 22, she was a member of an American contingent that won the gold medal at the Scottish National Championships. The team was coached by George Mason University s Pat Kendrick. Kollias is from Dana Point, Calif., and graduated from Concordia University in 1996 with a B.A. in elementary education. She earned her master s degree in athletic coaching education in 22 from West Virginia. Sam Shweisky Assistant Coach Assistant Coaches Sam Shweisky enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Rebels. Shweisky helped guide the Rebels to a 2-1 overall record in his first season as an assistant coach at UNLV. After completing the 26 season with UNLV, he was invited to coach the USA High Performance Select A2 Team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. He continues to serve as a court coach for USA Volleyball s Youth and National High Performance Tryouts at various sites around the country throughout the club season. Prior to UNLV, Shweisky was a graduate assistant coach at Miami University for longtime head coach Carolyn Condit. The RedHawks owned a record in his two seasons in Oxford, Ohio. In 25, the RedHawks posted a overall mark and finished Mid- American Conference play at 9-7. "We are excited about having Sambe part of the UNLV volleyball program," said Keeley. "He has great experience and is a great court player. He brings a new dimension to our program with his emphasis on sports psychology. He has an enormous passion for the game and a desire to help UNLV improve upon its past success on the court." While in Oxford, he was the head coach from 24-6 for the Borderline VBC 18-under open girls' club team. He has also been the USA's 18-under girls' team head coach at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, in which his squad won the silver medal. From 23-4, he held the head coaching position for the NYC Juniors 17-under girls' club team and at Friends Seminary High School for the varsity and junior varsity girls' teams. He has served as an assistant for the Hudson Valley boys' scholastic team in the Empire State Games (N.Y.) during the summers of From 21-2, he was an assistant coach at the University of New Haven. Zach Thomas Team Manager Zach Thomas enters his third season as the team manager for the Rebels. Thomas handles video duties, tape exchanges and statistics for the team. Thomas hails from Johnstown, Colo., and came to UNLV after being the team manager for the Rough Rider volleyball team. He is a junior majoring in hotel management. Prior to and during his coaching, he played for Miami's men's club team (24-6) and for Vassar College ( ). He has played internationally, as well, with Hajraa Volleyball Club in Holland (22-3) and for the USA in the Maccabiah Games in 21 and 25. Shweisky was a four-year letterwinner at Vassar College, where he helped his team to the Division III National Championship as a senior. He finished his collegiate career ranked fourth in single-season digs at Vassar, fifth in single-season digs per game and seventh in all-time digs. Shweisky is from New York City, N.Y., and earned his bachelor's degree in Hispanic studies and psychology from Vassar in 21. At Miami, he gained a master's of science degree in sports psychology in

12 27 Outlook 27 UNLV Volleyball Media Guide 1 2 Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Allison Keeley, the UNLV volleyball program appears to be headed in the right direction. Following back-to-back 15-win seasons in 24 and 25, the Rebels broke out in 26 with a 2- win performance. That 2-1 mark qualified for the third-best record in program history. After three straight fourth place finishes in Mountain West Conference action, the Rebels look to improve upon their back-to-back 1-win seasons in league play. The 27 Rebels return 1 members of the 26 squad and welcome eight newcomers to the program. The program returns six starters from last season, while only losing one key starter (Kristin Koochi). The two main losses from the 26 squad were to eligibility fulfillment for Koochi and Michelle Banks. The 27 edition returns 83% of its attacking prowess from last season. The top five kill specialists are back, led by Maria Aladjova s 42 tallies. The remaining four attacking Rebels are: Lauren Miramontes, Brittani Lumsden, Erin Greenwood and Jessica Walters. The 27 squad returns only 72% of its assisting totals with the loss of Koochi. Melody Nua returns and looks to lead the Rebels in department for the third straight season. On the defensive side of the ball, the team returns 85% of its dig tally and 88% of its blocking. Jada Walker has reset the UNLV single-season record book the past three seasons and looks to up it once more in 27. At the net, Miramontes and Greenwood head up the group of players that led the team in blocks last year. Returning Rebels - Seniors The Rebels have four seniors on the 27 squad and those four will help lead the way. Aladjova, Miramontes and Walker were named to the 26 Mountain West All-Conference Team and will be joined by Lumsden. Aladjova, an outside hitter, returns for her fourth season as a Rebel. Besides being named to the all-conference squad, she was a one-time MWC Player of the Week and was named to two in-season tournament teams. Besides leading the team in kills, she was tops in kills per game (3.83) and total attempts (1,158), while playing in all 3 matches. She posted 2 career double-doubles, including 14 in 26 and in 83 matches, she has tallied double-digits in kills on 65 occasions. Miramontes, a middle blocker, returns for her fifth season as a Rebel. After suffering an injury during the 23 season, she has been a force at the net. Besides being named to the all-conference squad, she was named to two in-season tournament teams. She led the team in hitting percentage (.273) and blocks per game (1.2). Last season, she notched her first career double-double en route to tallying 26 kills (3.6 per game) and 12 total blocks (13 solo, 89 assisted). Jada Walker, a libero, returns for her fourth season as a Rebel. The defensive player has supadded to her own total as the all-time career leader in digs the past two seasons. After taking over the category in 24, she has one-upped herself the past two years. In 26, she tallied 532 digs, while playing in all 3 matches. She also contributed 44 assists and 22 aces. Lumsden, an outside hitter, returns for her fourth season as a Rebel. Last season, she was named the Mountain West Player of the Week once for her MVP efforts in the UNLV Invitational. She finished 26 with 256 kills and a 3.5 per game average in 25 matches. Defensively, she posted 172 digs and 3 total blocks. In her career, she has recorded 25 double-doubles, including six last season. In 82 matches, she has amassed doubledigits in kills 41 times. Returning Rebels - Juniors The Rebels have three juniors on the 27 squad with Nua leading the way with Camille Cunningham and Gerryn Moran in the mix. Nua, a setter, was named to the UNLV Invitational All-Tournament Team. She led the Rebels in assists (944) and assists per game (8.99), while tallying no less than 14 assists in each match. She played in all 3 matches last season. In her career, she has recorded double-digits in assists in all 6 matches played and in digs 16 times. Cunningham, a defensive specialist, played in all 3 matches and racked up 271 digs, 2 assists and 12 aces. Moran, an outside hitter, saw action in four matches. She tallied three kills and one dig in eight games. Returning Rebels - Sophomores The Rebels have three sophomores on the 27 squad with Greenwood, Samantha Noland and Jessica Walters rounding out the returners. Greenwood, a middle blocker, racked up teamhighs in block assists (94) and total blocks (13). She put back nine blocks by herself. She played in all 3 matches, with a total of 196 kills, six assists and eight aces. Noland, a middle blocker, played in 25 matches and amassed 8 kills and 7 total blocks (14 solo, 56 assisted). She dished out seven assists, as well. Walters, an outside hitter, played in 25 matches and threw down 156 kills and had 12 digs. She assisted on 21 kills and served up six aces. She had 34 blocks (three solo). New Rebels Keeley has brought in the largest freshman class since she arrived in Las Vegas. Keeley has reeled in eight newcomers. Joining the mix will be three outside hitters, three liberos, one middle blocker and one setter. The outside hitters are Kelsey Keeler (Concord, Calif.), Sara Nehf (Centennial, Colo.) and Saulie- Ann Wong (Hanapepe, Hawaii). The liberos are Kela Lau Hee (Pukalani, Hawaii), Tabitha Mabrey (Coeur d Alene, Idaho) and Jeralynn Makaiwi (Las Vegas, Nev.). The middle blocker is Mercedes Winchester (Walnut, Calif.), while the lone setter is Alyssa Erickson (San Marcos, Calif.). 27 Schedule The 27 UNLV volleyball schedule includes three tournaments and a total of 26 regular-season contests. The three tournaments are the UNLV Tournament (Aug ), Loyola Marymount s Four Points Sheraton LAX Classic (Sept. 1-2) in Los Angeles, Calif., and then Nevada, Reno s AT&T Invitational (Sept. 8-9) in Reno, Nev. Following the three tournaments, the Rebels will play 17 matches with 16 of them against Mountain West Conference foes. The lone nonconference match will be at Santa Clara on Sept. 23. UNLV opens conference action in the Cox Pavilion on Sept. 13 and 15 against BYU and Utah, respectively. After hosting the Beehive State institutions, the Rebels hit the road for three straight matches, with San Diego State leading the way on Sept. 21. The team then heads up to Santa Clara and then to Colorado State (Sept. 29) before coming home. After its three-match road swing, the team will then play a schedule of two at home and then two on the road with the regular season concluding at Utah and BYU on Nov. 16 and 17, respectively. The Rebels will play host to the Mountain West Conference Volleyball Championships on Nov for the third straight year. Breaking down the 27 opponents, the Rebels will be playing six squads that advanced to the 26 NCAA Tournament. Three of the six came from the MWC (BYU, Colorado State and Utah), while the remaining three were: Arizona State, UC Santa Barbara and Santa Clara. Utah and BYU closed out the 26 season ranked 15th and 2th, respectively, in the AVCA s Final Top 25 Poll. Santa Clara was receiving votes in the final poll, as well.