UNLV notebook: Volleyball coach is not afraid to look to future

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2000 | 10:46 a.m.

The popular refrain among coaches in any sport during the postseason goes something like, "We're not looking ahead ... we're going to take it one game at a time."

Not in the case of UNLV head volleyball coach Deitre Collins, who leads the Rebels into the opening round of the Mountain West Conference Volleyball tournament this afternoon against Utah.

Collins, who has been in a rebuilding mode this season and started three freshmen all year, is looking beyond Utah -- to the next few seasons.

"I like the players we have now and the players (we have coming in)," Collins said. "Starting three freshmen this year and giving them a whole year of playing experience is doing nothing but building for the future."

But that's not to say Collins or her players are not focusing on today's opponent. After tying for fifth in the conference standings, UNLV (6-18 overall, 5-9 in the MWC) lost a coin flip with New Mexico and enters the single-elimination tournament as the No. 6 seed. Utah (19-6 and 10-4) is seeded third.

Although Utah holds an 8-1 edge in the series with UNLV, the Rebels' lone win against the Utes came in the opening round of the 1998 conference tournament in Las Vegas.

Other first-round matches today have top-seeded Colorado State playing eighth-seed Air Force; No. 2 BYU facing No. 7 Wyoming; and No. 4 San Diego State meeting No. 5 New Mexico.

Barto, a Henderson native, clocked a personal best time of 20:38 on the 6-kilometer course, just 13 seconds behind the individual winner, Lisa Aguilera of Arizona State.

Barto will compete in the NCAA Championships, to be held Monday in Ames, Iowa.

The men's and women's teams are coming off convincing victories over Utah last Friday at the Whitney Ranch Pool in Henderson.