Nov. 24, 2005
LAS VEGAS - UNLV came back from a one-game deficit to defeat San Diego State, 3-1 (26-30, 30-22, 31-29, 30-18), at the 2005 Mountain West Conference Championship tournament at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas Thursday night. With the loss, the Aztecs conclude their season with an overall record of 16-14. The victory improved UNLV to 15-14 on the year as it moves on to the semifinals to face the top seed and 21st-ranked BYU Cougars Friday night.
Lindsey Noll had 14 kills to lead SDSU, while Brandie Molnar (13) and Audra Dent (11) broke the 10-kill plateau as well. Noll hit a team-high .370 over the four games, and both she and Dent recorded five blocks apiece.
Leah Lathrop and Kristen Castillo split the Aztec assists in the match, as Lathrop had 23 compared to Castillo's 19. In addition, Aime Cordeiro picked up 20 digs, while Melanie Greene had 15.
The Rebels had four players reach double figures in kills, led by Maria Aladjova, who led all players with 19. UNLV also got a record-setting performance by Melody Nua, who had 56 assists to set a new MWC Championship record for assists by a freshman.
UNLV out hit San Diego State 70 to 59 in kills and .256 to .179 in hitting percentage. The Aztecs had a slight advantage in the blocking department as a team with 11 compared to 10 by the Rebels.
The match marked the final contest for four Aztec seniors, a group which included Dent, Melissa Stapley, Ashley Bowker and Angela Verdenacci. SDSU will return five starters and a total of 10 letterwinners as it looks forward to the 2006 season.