UNLV volleyball team eliminates Arkansas in NIVC quarterfinals
EL PASO —UNLV had a balanced offensive effort and advanced to the semifinals of the NIVC with a 25-23, 25-22, 25-17 win against Arkansas on Tuesday night at Memorial Gym.
The win earned the Rebels (26-9), who defeated New Mexico State and Arizona in the first two rounds, a spot in the semifinals against Weber State or UTEP, which played after the Rebels and Razorbacks match.
Arkansas, which defeated Stephen F. Austin to reach the quarters, finishes 20-11.
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How the Rebels got it done
UNLV had six players with five kills or more and hit .375 for the match and had 10 more kills (49-39) than the Razorbacks.
Shelby Capllonch led the way for the Rebels with 11 kills and hit .391. Mariena Hayden recorded nine kills and Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos and Jordyn Freeman each had seven kills.
Both of UNLV’s setters played well. Arien Fafard had 21 assists and Lauryn Burt added 16.
UNLV’s defense was also strong. The Rebels limited Arkansas to a .242 hitting percentage. Capllonch led the way with 10 digs, while Burt and Hayden had nine digs each.
The Rebels hit .387 in the first set, .342 in the second set and .400 in the third set.
Leading the way for Arkansas
The Razorbacks got 11 kills each from Taylor Head and Jillian Gillen and eight kills from Ellease Crumpton. Setter Gracie Ryan recorded 33 assists.
UNLV in familiar spot
Under coach Dawn Sullivan, this is UNLV’s third trip to the NIVC Tournament. In 2018, the Rebels reached the semifinal round.
What the coaches said
“I thought we had a really balanced attack and our kids played great,” Rebels coach Dawn Sullivan said. “This tournament has been great for college volleyball. It’s allowed teams to continue to grow and we’ve had some success. We have played well the past two weeks and I’m proud of what we have accomplished. We did a great job as a team.”
Said Arkansas coach Jason Watkins: “We’ve been good about getting teams out of system this year. UNLV played really well and did a great job in transition. It’s tough to end the season with a loss, but we had a good year and saw growth in our program. We played a lot of volleyball this year and the SEC is a challenge, but the players showed they could be successful and handle a tough schedule."
Felix F. Chavez may be reached at 915-546-6167; fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UNLV eliminates Arkansas volleyball in NIVC quarterfinals
