Rebel volleyball squad off to quick 6-0 start

Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999 | 11:47 a.m.

Before the Rebels had ever played a match this season, UNLV head volleyball coach Deitre Collins predicted that this team would be better than last year's squad, which posted a 23-8 record.

Off to a 6-0 start this season, the Rebels are proving their coach right.

Despite getting off to the best start in the program's history, the Rebels are winning matches despite what Collins calls an inconsistent effort in some of their outings.

"I feel we've gotten wins without playing as good as we can play," Collins said. "I think that we still have a ways to go. Obviously, we're playing well enough to win and that's huge -- and I want to continue that -- but I want us to be more consistent.

"We are a better team (than we were a year ago) and that's encouraging, also. We still have some little things to work out, but it's just the second week."

Collins said the Rebels will have to be at their best this weekend when they host 19th-ranked USC, Oral Roberts and New Orleans in the UNLV Invitational at Lied Gymnasium.

USC (3-2) will open the tournament Friday at 5 p.m. against Oral Roberts (6-3) and the Rebels will play New Orleans (4-3) Friday at 7. The winners will meet in Saturday's championship match at 4 p.m. while the first-round losers will play in Saturday's 1 p.m. consolation match.

"I don't know much about New Orleans, but I think USC and Oral Roberts both have a rich history in volleyball so we will definitely get tested and we will have to play at a high level if we want a chance to win," Collins said.

As a result of the Rebels sweeping Louisville, Rutgers and Maryland last weekend in the Maryland Tournament in College Park, Collins became UNLV's all-time winningest volleyball coach by wins. Collins is 43-48 since UNLV resurrected the program four years ago.

* MEN'S SOCCER: Coach Barry Barto's Rebels will be back in action this weekend, hosting their second tournament of the season at Johann Field.

UNLV (2-3) will play the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (4-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in the opening match of the Coors Soccer Classic. No. 20 Gonzaga will take on San Diego State at 9 p.m. Friday in the second match.

On Sunday, UNLV will face Gonzaga at noon and UMBC will play San Diego State at 2 p.m.

The Rebels split a pair of matches last weekend, beating Detroit 4-3 and losing to 16th-ranked Washington 2-1.

* WOMEN'S SOCCER: Coach Staci Hendershott's Rebels conclude their five-game road swing this weekend with matches Friday at Arizona State and Sunday at Northern Arizona.

The Rebels (2-1-1) played Michigan State to a scoreless tie and lost to Western Michigan, 1-0, in a pair of road matches last weekend.

* CROSS COUNTRY: After placing ninth among 16 teams at last Saturday's UC Irvine/Asics Cross Country Invitational in Huntington Beach, Calif., the Rebels have the week off in preparation for next Saturday's Sundodger Invitational in Seattle.

Stephanie Davidson was the Rebels' top finisher last week, finishing 34th with a time of 19:02.