RENO, Nev. – Pack defeats the UNLV Rebels 3-2, earning an edge in the Silver State Series presented by America First Credit Union.
 
Nicanora Clarke, Sia Liilii, and Gabby McLaughlin led the Pack with 18, 14, and 13 kills respectively. Tehya Maeva tallied 36 assists, her highest total in nearly a month. Defensively, Jordan Schwartz totaled seven blocks and Hikialani Kaohelaulii earned 21 digs, she was one of five members of the Pack to record double-digit digs.
 
The Thursday night meeting was the 36^th meeting all-time between the in-state rivals, the Rebels hold a 26-10 lead in the series following tonight's result.
 
Nevada opened the match strong with a 3-0 lead to begin the first set including a Maeva ace, setting the scene for the night early. UNLV would slowly pull the score back even tying up the set 6-6. The Nevada rivals would trade points until the 10-10 mark of the set. The Rebels quickly pulled away with a six-point run into the media timeout, leading 15-10. The Pack went on their own three-point run before UNLV responded with three of their own, forcing a Nevada timeout with the score 13-18. The Rebels finished the first set on a 10-3 run, earning a first set victory 25-16. UNLV out-hit the Pack .448 to .103, only recording a single attack error in the first frame.
 
The opening to the second set also favored the Pack, going on a 4-0 run via three straight UNLV attack errors. The Wolf Pack continued their early success throughout the set, a point leading 12-6 and 14-9. UNLV chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying the set 18-18. The Rebels held a short lead for the first time in the second set with a two-point edge at 21-19. The Pack managed to close the margin and never looked back. Despite three tie scores in the final seven points of the set, Nevada never trailed again in the set. Back-to-back kills by Clarke and Liilii closed out the second frame for Nevada by a score of 25-23. The Pack recorded 16 kills and a .286 hitting percentage in the second set. By the end of the second set, both teams combined for seven aces and nine service errors, totaling 16 points decided on the serve.
 
The Pack began the third set as they did the prior two sets, by taking the first point. UNLV quickly responded with a kill, sparking a tightly contested set. Neither team held more than a three-point lead until late in the set when Nevada capped their six-point run with a Schwartz and Maeva block, pushing the Pack's lead to 18-14. UNLV attempted to spark a late comeback with a kill and ace, pulling within two points. Back-to-back kills by Liilii and McLaughlin forced a Rebel timeout at 20-16. The Pack didn't stop their momentum, with three more Wolf Pack points creating a six-point lead. Following a couple of UNLV points in another late come-from-behind attempt, two attack errors clinched the third set for the Pack, winning 25-19. Nevada only managed 12 kills in the third set win but was boosted by twelve total errors coming from the Rebels in the set. The 2-1 set lead for the Pack prompted madness from the Nevada fans and band, urging on the team.
 
The fourth set began with another Wolf Pack point, courtesy of a Clarke kill. UNLV pushed back strong with three points, but Nevada answered with another Clarke kill and forcing a Rebel attack error, tying the set back up at 3-3. UNLV followed with the longest run of the match, scoring seven consecutive points, including four service aces in a row from Livvy Setla. UNLV pushed the lead to its extent at eight points with a kill, capping another short run of three points. Despite the large deficit, Nevada was able to keep the set competitive and the Virginia Street Gym crowd engaged, closing the Rebel lead all the way down to one with a four-point Wolf Pack scoring run, bringing the score to 23-22. However, UNLV closed out the set with two kills, winning 25-22. Even though the Rebels were victors of the fourth set, the Pack held UNLV to a .025 hitting percentage, recording nine attack errors on 40 attack attempts. The Rebels were boosted offensively by their seven service aces in the set.
 
The decisive set of the match began with another Wolf Pack point, their fifth set-opening point of the match. A service error from Maeva tied up the fifth set for the Rebels before a four-point run for the Pack. Two consecutive aces for McLaughlin brought the score to 5-1 in favor of Nevada. A strong UNLV pushback brought the score to a deadlock at 6-6, before a Rebel error and Liilii kill pushed the Pack over the line to switch sides, leading 8-6. Coming out of the switch, UNLV scored three of the next four points, tying the final set at 9-9. Another point swap saw the score at 10-10 before the Pack went on another four-point run with kills from McLaughlin and Snyder and an ace from Maeva. The Rebels tried their luck at a challenge late in the set, but the unsuccessful verdict gave Nevada a 14-10 match-point opportunity. One final Rebel point forced UNLV's Setla to the service line where she sailed the final serve of the match far and wide, clinching Nevada's victory over UNLV.
 
Nevada recorded 11 service aces as a team, their second-highest total of the season. The Wolf Pack's 69 digs were also tied for the most any of UNLV's opponents have tallied this season. The 908-person crowd which rocked Virginia Street Gym was the second-highest total this season, and the highest throughout conference play
 
The win snaps a seven-match losing streak for the Wolf Pack, earning its first conference win of the campaign. The victory also puts an end to UNLV's eight-match win streak against Nevada.
 
Up Next:
Nevada volleyball will return to Virginia Street Gym Saturday, Oct. 14 to take on San Diego State at 12 p.m. Tickets start at $7 at www.mynevadatickets.com.