The UNLV Rebels women's volleyball team competes as part of NCAA Division I, representing the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the Mountain West. UNLV plays its home games at the Cox Pavilion.
| UNLV Rebels women's volleyball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1978 |
| University | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| Athletic director | Erick Harper |
| Head coach | Malia Shoji (1st season) |
| Conference | Mountain West |
| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Home arena | Cox Pavilion (capacity: 2,500) |
| Nickname | Rebels |
| Colors | Scarlet and gray[1] |
| AIAW/NCAA Tournament appearance | |
| 2007, 2016, 2020, 2022 | |
| Conference tournament champion | |
| 2007 | |
| Conference regular season champion | |
| 2020, 2022 | |
History edit
UNLV started their volleyball program in 1978 as a Division 1 independent team. They finished their first season with a 10-7 record. From 1978 to 1980 UNLV would remain independent and pose an overall record of 29-23-2.[2]
UNLV did not field a volleyball team from 1981 to 1983 but started up again in 1984 as a Big West Conference member. They would only be in the Big West for 2 seasons before again suspending the volleyball program, this time for 11 years.[3][4]
In 1996 UNLV would start up their volleyball program again as a Western Athletic Conference member. Their first season back they finished with a 5-22 record under head coach Deitre Collins.[5]
UNLV joined the Mountain West Conference in 1999. Collins would resign as head coach in 2003, with an overall record of 89-136.[4] Allison Keeley would take over as head coach.[6]
Under coach Keeley UNLV had a breakout season in 2007, going 24-6, winning the Mountain West tournament, and making the 2007 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament. This was the programs first NCAA volleyball tournament appearance.[7] They would end up losing to Long Beach State in the first round.[8]
In 2010 UNLV hired Cindy Fredrick as their next head coach.[9] In 2014 she would lead the team to a program high 26 wins.[10] She would also lead the team to the programs second tournament appearance in the 2016 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament where they would upset the No. 22 ranked Utah Utes in the first round of the tournament.[11][12] They would then lose to BYU in the second round.[13][12]
Dawn Sullivan would take over as head coach in 2018. In her first season as head coach the team went 22-12 and made the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. Under Sullivan's reign the team made 2 NCAA tournament appearances in 2020 and 2022. The 2020 team would make the second round of the tournament after beating Illinois State in the first round and then losing to Kentucky in the second round.[14][15][16] The 2022 team would lose to Washington State in the first round.[17]
UNLV hired Malia Shoji as their next head coach in 2023.[18]
UNLV has an all time record of 496-421-2.[19]
Coaches edit
Coaching history edit
| No. | Coach | Tenure | Overall | Conference | Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matti Smith | 1978 | 10-7 (.588) | N/A | |
| 2 | Gena Borda | 1979-80 | 19–16–2 (.541) | N/A | |
| 3 | Karen Lamb | 1984-85 | 39–34 (.534) | 6-18 (.250) | |
| 4 | Deitre Collins | 1996-03 | 89–136 (.396) | 41-63 (.394) | |
| 5 | Allison Keeley | 2004-10 | 103–96 (.518) | 59-51 (.536) | 2007 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament appearance |
| 6 | Cindy Fredrick | 2011-17 | 122–93 (.567) | 60-58 (.508) | 2016 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament appearance |
| 7 | Dawn Sullivan | 2018-22 | 109–38 (.741) | 66-18 (.786) | 2020 and 2022 NCAA tournament appearance |
| 8 | Malia Shoji | 2023- | (–) | (–) |
References edit
- ^ "Color Information" (PDF). UNLV Rebels Style Guide. September 12, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ "Yearly Results". University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ Graham, Tim (1998-10-28). "In just its third season the UNLV volleyball team is winning big - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ a b Christensen, Nick (2003-12-03). "Collins out as UNLV coach - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "1996 Year in Review". University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "New Coach Hired". University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics. 2004-01-30. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "Let's Go Dancin'". University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics. 2007-11-24. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "No. 25 49ers Advance In NCAA Tournament". Long Beach State University Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "Cindy Fredrick Named Head Coach". University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics. 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ https://lasvegassun.com/news/2014/nov/19/may-be-best-volleyball-team-unlv-history/ lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ https://www.deseret.com/2016/12/2/20601805/unlv-embraces-underdog-status-in-upset-of-utah-in-first-round-of-the-ncaa-volleyball-tournament
- ^ a b "2016 Division I Women's Volleyball Official Bracket | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ https://www.deseret.com/2016/12/20/20602652/byu-volleyball-players-coaches-look-back-another-successful-season
- ^ "Rebels Fly Past Redbirds Into Second Round". University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics. 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ https://lasvegassun.com/news/2022/nov/27/unlv-volleyball-selected-for-ncaa-tournament/
- ^ "UNLV's dream volleyball season ends with season's first loss". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "Washington State volleyball sweeps UNLV to advance in NCAA Tournament | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "UNLV hires Shoji as coach for women's volleyball team". KLAS. 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "2022 Volleyball Record Book (PDF)" (PDF). University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-14.