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Kym Fortino

Volleyball Sweeps UNLV To Start MW Play

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Amethyst Harper put down her team-leading 12th kill of the night and brought the Spartan Gym crowd to their feet as the San José State volleyball swept defending Mountain West champions UNLV 3-0 in the conference opener for both teams.
 
Harper led all hitters with her 12 kills and recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 10 digs in the win.
 

 
•The Spartans start MW play with a 1-0 record for the first time since the 2015 season when the team won at Fresno State (3-2). SJSU will look to start 2-0 in MW action for the first time in school history on Saturday when the team hosts San Diego State.
 
•Latahevai Lousi, who was honored before the match for recording her 1,000th career kill, added 10 kills and a block.
 
•Sarah Smevog led the Spartan defense with 18 digs and added five assists.
 
•Mia Schafer tallied almost every stat possible in the match – 32 assists, two kills, one ace, eight digs and a block.
 
•The Spartans got eight service aces from five different players – Lousi (2), Harper (2), Smevog (2), Schafer and Yazmin Pitpit.
 
•Ryann Thomison led the Spartan block with a season-best five blocks, one solo and four assists. The Spartans recorded seven blocks in the three sets.

   
Match Summary
Set 1 – The Spartans led 12-7 on a Lousi kills, but UNLV fought back and took a 15-12 lead. The two teams battled back and forth before Haylee Nelson gave the team a 21-20 lead, and Lousi gets the kill for a 25-22 set win.
 
Set 2 – The Rebels crept out a 14-8 lead before the Spartans used a 6-0 run to tie the set a 14-14 on a Nelson kill and Smevog serving. San Jose State had a 24-22 lead, but UNLV fought off two set points to tie the score at 24-24. A Nelson kill and a block by Thomison and Schafer gave SJSU the 26-24 victory.
 
Set 3 – UNLV sprinted out to a 6-0 lead and led 17-12 before SJSU used a 7-1 run to take a 19-18 lead on a Thomison kill. Harper then put down her 12th kill of the night for the 25-22 win.
 

 
The Spartans host San Diego State Saturday inside Spartan Gym with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
San José State def. UNLV 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-22).
Kills – UNLV – Mariena Hayden, Millca Tasic 11; SJSU – Amethyst Harper 12.
Records – UNLV 9-3, 0-1; SJSU 7-4, 1-0.
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