On Saturday afternoon, The Rebel’s struggles continued after a tough loss to another conference opponent, the Colorado State Rams, falling 3-0.
The Rebels entered the match with an overall record of 10-8.
Set one
The match began with an early lead by the Colorado Rams, leading 5-3. The Rebels didn’t fall too far behind, keeping the deficit within reach.
After back-to-back kills by Colorado redshirt senior opposite hitter Malaya Jones. The Rams extended their lead to 11-7.
A massive block by freshman middle blocker Rheanna Deen-Jackson and fifth-year outside hitter Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos sprouted life back into the Rebels side of the court, 15-11.
UNLV called a timeout after another kill by Jones to maintain a four-point lead, 19-15.
The Rebels continued to mount a comeback as freshman outside hitter Basia Latos tallied a kill and a timely ace to bring the Rebels within two, 19-17.
Deen-Jackson continued to make her presence known after a rejection at the net with senior right-side hitter Chloe Thomas, making the score 21-19.
The Rebels tied the opening set late after a net violation against the Rams at 23.
Despite the Rebel’s efforts, the Rams took the set 25-23 after an attack error on Deen-Jackson.
After struggling against the Wyoming Cowgirls on Oct. 17 in the blocking category, UNLV totaled five blocks early in the first set.
Set two
Colorado State got off to an early lead despite the Rebels winning a challenge to get a point back, 4-2.
The Rebels started to cut the deficit in half as Latos and senior outside hitter Dakota Quinlan struck back-to-back kills to make the score 7-6.
After the Rams went on a four-point run to extend the lead to 13-8, UNLV head coach Malia Shoji called a timeout.
After the timeout, the Rebels showed signs of life after Thomas’s massive kill, making the score 15-10.
Latos continued to tally up kills throughout the set, pulling the Rebels within three, 17-14.
Deen-Jackson also continued to make an impact as she added an ace to that point in the set, bringing the set closer to 20-16
After both teams shared service errors, the Rebels remained behind by four at 22-18.
The Rams took the set and a match lead 2-0 after freshman defensive specialist Jordyn Tynsky scored back-to-back aces in a 25-18 set win.
Set three
The Rebels got off to a hot start in the third set with back-to-back kills from Arretche-Ramos and Thomas and a 4-1 lead.
An impressive play at the net by graduate setter Arien Fafard maintained the Rebel’s early lead in set three, 7-4.
After nearly a minute-long rally in the Rebel’s direction, they took the point and maintained a three-point lead, 9-6.
The Rams pulled within one after two blocks by graduate middle blocker Naeemah Weathers
and graduate outside hitter Kennedy Stanford, 14-13.
The comeback was complete after a successful challenge by the Rams, evening up the set at 15-15.
During the following serve, the Rams took their first lead in the set after an attack error by freshman libero Kody Wengler, 16-15.
As the momentum swing took full effect, the Rebels were forced to take a timeout as Colorado extended the lead to 19-16 after a pair of kills.
In an attempt to restore the UNLV lead, a block by Arretche-Ramos and Deen-Jackson pulled the Rebels within two, 19-17.
However, UNLV was forced to call another timeout after the Rams went on a three-point run, extending their lead to 22-17.
At the beginning of the end, Colorado reached the match point after an attack error by Quinlan, making the score 24-17.
The Rebels didn’t go down without a fight as Latos added another kill to her total, bringing the Rebels to within six, 24-18.
However, that would not be enough, as, after a rotation error by the Rebels, the Rams took the match 3-0 and set three 25-18.
What’s next for the Rebels
The Rebels are back on the road to face off against conference opponent San Diego State Aztecs on Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m.
