LBSU (25-6 overall, 14-2 conference)
LBSU finished Big West Conference play with a 14-2 record, but the two losses to No. 17-ranked Cal Poly kept the team from winning the conference and securing a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The 49ers, however, made serious strides entering the tournament by winning their last four matches, the most recent one over Florida, which was ranked No. 8 at the time, Saturday night. As a result of the successful four-match finish to end its season, LBSU was ranked 25th in the AVCA top-25 poll, its first national ranking since the 49ers began their season.
No other player on the team was more effective than senior middle blocker Alexis Crimes, who has led the way with sheer force and amazing athleticism. Playing in her final NCAA Tournament, Crimes brings a team-high .347 attack clip to a lineup that features five other players with 100-plus kills on the season. The first team all-Big West selection leads the team with 475 kills and 138 total blocks.
Despite missing one game to an ankle injury, Crimes has had the support of other standout players, namely fellow first team selections Michaela Hasalikova (367 kills) and Quincy Verdin (307 kills).
Senior libero Talaya Whitfield was the 49ers’ defensive dynamo throughout the season, leading the team in digs with 486. Junior setter Nicole Vargas stepped in after senior setter Dyanne Lawlor’s departure via a Washington, D.C., internship and played well, recording 1,270 assists this season.
Freshman outside hitter Ashley Lee also became a force at the net, with 299 kills, 107 assists and 314 digs this season.
LBSU has a 6-2 overall record against UNLV and has won the last two matches. The 49ers’ tough schedule, which included seven nationally-ranked opponents, should have them prepared to face the Runnin’ Rebels.
University of Nevada-Las Vegas (24-5 overall, 12-4 conference)
The Rebels are running into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their history after winning their first Mountain West Conference Championship with a win over Utah in the final round of the conference tournament.
After finishing 15-15 a few years ago, UNLV has improved drastically to complete the program’s best season in history.
Despite a lack of experience in NCAA Tournament play, UNLV has three senior standouts who are as formidable as LBSU’s Alexis Crimes, Michaela Hasalikova and Talaya Whitfield.
Senior middle blocker Lauren Miramontes – the younger sister of former LBSU volleyball star Robin Miramontes -has been dominant in her final season for UNLV, tallying a team-high 502 kills this season, along with 130 total blocks.
Senior outside hitter Maria Aladjova is second on the team in kills with 452, while senior libero Jada Walker has 602 digs this season. All three were named to the Mountain West”s first team, along with junior setter Melody Nua, who had 1,387 assists this season.
Unlike the 49ers, the Rebels began the season on a high note, winning eight of their first nine matches. The team’s strength of schedule, however, was nowhere near as difficult as LBSU’s. In fact, UNLV played only one ranked team this season (No. 21-ranked Colorado State).
UNLV and LBSU both average 16 kills per game, but the Rebels hold the advantage in assists per game (UNLV has 15, LBSU has 14).
The Rebels and 49ers have one common opponent between each other, as both have decimated UC Santa Barbara this season. LBSU, with head coach Brian Gimmillaro at the helm, holds a winning 3-1 against the Rebels.
This will be Gimmillaro’s first match-up against UNLV’s fourth-year head coach Allison Keeley, who has compiled a 74-41 record and was recently named MWC Coach of the Year.
