UNLV starts Mountain West play with volleyball win

By Jesse Granger

Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015 | 6:23 p.m.

Every opponent that steps into Cox Pavilion to face UNLV’s volleyball team is greeted by a wall of scarlet and gray arms towering over the net.

San Jose State learned that the hard way Saturday, when the Spartans struggled to even get the ball over the net against the Rebels’ dominant front three.

UNLV recorded 20 blocks in its 3-1 (22-25, 25-11, 25-17, 25-23) win over San Jose State to start Mountain West Conference play in the win column.

Sophomore Ashley Owens anchors the front line for the Rebels. Saturday she added seven blocks to her season total of 62, which ranks her in the top 50 in the nation.

“She is 6-3 but she literally plays like she is 6-6,” said UNLV coach Cindy Fredrick. “Getting blocks is all about timing, and she has it.”

Owens is averaging 1.38 blocks per set this season, ranking 29th in the NCAA.

“I think of it more as an offensive move more than a defensive move,” Owens said. “I really want to get in there and get in their face. It’s a lot of fun. It’s my favorite thing to do on the court. “

Owens wasn’t alone in her effort; UNLV out-blocked the Spartans 20-6.

Junior Bree Hammel, a former star at Bonanza High, pitched in a team-high eight blocks and scored 12 kills on offense.

“(Hammel) is so athletic it’s crazy, and she’s such a competitor,” Fredrick said. “Offensively, she’s a huge weapon, and defensively, she is gigantic for us.”

The Rebels rank 24th in the country in blocks per set with 2.72. They crushed that Saturday, averaging five blocks per set against San Jose State.

“It is a personal thing with our team,” Fredrick said. “We want to be a really good blocking team, and we spend a lot of time blocking in practice.”

After a difficult nonconference schedule that included matches against two top-10 teams, the Rebels are primed for another successful run in the Mountain West.

Last season UNLV finished with the best record in school history at 26-7, and went 14-4 in conference play for a second-place finish.

“This conference is really good. … For us to start off with a win is important before we head on the road,” Fredrick said.

UNLV won’t win the conference on blocks alone. The Rebels will need a big year from another super sophomore in Alexis Patterson.

Patterson ranks 88th in the country in assists with 473, including a team-high 37 on Saturday. No other UNLV player had more than one assist in the match, as Patterson accounted for all but four of the Rebels’ assists.

“Lexi delivers the ball very well,” Fredrick said. “She is a smart setter and doesn’t lose her cool. I just like her court demeanor. She’s a good floor leader and gives her players confidence.”

The Rebels now head on the road to face Boise State and Utah State, before heading home to host conference rivals San Diego State and UNR.

Those matches will be pivotal for conference positioning, and UNLV is a perfect 7-0 at home this season and has won 11 of its past 12 at home overall.

“We have a lot of energy coming from the fans, and we have other sports that come and support us,” Owens said. “We decided that we weren’t going to let them take us on our home court.”