Rebels rebound, triumph

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It didn’t take UNLV long to erase the memory of its only losing streak of the season.

The Rebels, who entered the Mountain West Conference volleyball tournament after consecutive losses to end the regular season, rebounded in a big way Thursday.

UNLV, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, set the tone early in a 30-12, 30-22, 27-30, 30-21 win over seventh-seeded Wyoming at Cox Pavilion.

The Rebels (22-5) will meet third-seeded Brigham Young (21-6) in a semifinal at 3:30 p.m. today.

“We came out with a lot of confidence,” Rebels senior outside hitter Maria Aladjova said. “We knew right from the start we weren’t going to let them beat us.”

Ranked No. 25 in the country a week ago, UNLV lost at Utah and at BYU to complete the regular season, the only time all year the Rebels lost consecutive matches.

It served as incentive to play well in the tournament.

“We played well in those two games, but when you lose, it always leaves you with a bad feeling,” UNLV coach Allison Keeley said. “Our seniors really wanted this match.”

The Rebels were magnificent in the first game Thursday, rolling to a 7-1 lead behind four kills from senior middle blocker Lauren Miramontes and cruising to the win.

UNLV registered 23 digs in the first game and used a transition offense to put up 17 kills against only one error.

“We train a lot on defense,” Keeley said. “We really work on it, and everybody contributes something.”

Two kills by Aladjova broke open a close second game and put the Rebels in position for a sweep.

Wyoming (12-14) stiffened on defense in Game 3, blocking five Rebels attempts and passing well to force a fourth game.

In the finale, Miramontes and Aladjova combined for four straight kills to open a 15-10 lead.

The Cowgirls rallied within 16-15, but another kill by Aladjova started an 11-4 run that removed any doubt.

Aladjova finished with 20 kills and 13 digs. Miramontes added 19 kills.

Five Rebels had at least 12 digs, led by Jada Walker’s 29.

The Rebels dug 90 of Wyoming’s 180 attack attempts and blocked 13 others.

“They’re a great defensive team, and their defense creates offensive opportunities,” Wyoming coach Pat Stangle said.

UNLV split with BYU in the regular season, sweeping the Cougars at home on Sept. 13.

• BYU 3, New Mexico 2 — The third-seeded Cougars rallied to force a fifth game and rallied again to win it, downing New Mexico, 33-35, 30-28, 28-30, 30-19, 16-14.

The Lobos (16-13) led 13-11 in the fifth game but didn’t finish the upset.

Chelsea Goodman had 21 kills and 11 digs for BYU.

• Utah 3, Texas Christian 0 — The fifth-seeded Utes beat the fourth-seeded Horned Frogs 30-15, 30-28, 30-23 to move into the semifinals against top-seeded Colorado State.

Kate Robison and Lori Baird had 14 and 12 kills, respectively, and Keisha Fisher had seven digs for the Utes (14-14).

TCU ended its season at 22-12.

• Colorado State 3, San Diego State 0 — Mekana Barnes had 15 kills and Ashley Fornstrom added 49 assists as the 20th-ranked Rams blanked the Aztecs 30-22, 30-20, 30-19 to move into today’s semifinals.

Colorado State improved to 22-6 while San Diego State ended its season at 13-16.