Baylor
UNLV
Volleyball Downs UNLV 3-0 At Thanksgiving Classic
11/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 24, 2000
WACO, Texas - Freshman of the Year and all-America candidate Stevie Nicholas tallied match highs with 23 kills and 16 digs to lead the Baylor volleyball team past Nevada-Las Vegas 16-14, 15-11, 16-14 here Friday night in first-day action of the Baylor Thanksgiving Classic.
With the victory, the Bears improve to 16-14 on the season, UNLV falls to 6-20. Baylor will face No. 11 UCLA in the championship match Saturday at 7 p.m. The Bruins (21-7) defeated Connecticut (19-13) 15-1, 15-9, 15-13 in Friday's first match. The Huskies and UNLV will square off in the consolation match Saturday at 5 p.m.
Nicholas posted her 14th 20-kill match and 17th double-double of the season on the night. In the process, the Fullerton, Calif., native hit .327 and matched her career-high with two service aces. Meanwhile, junior Sunny Nicholas had 11 kills, 13 digs and three blocks while hitting .348. Dana Atkinson added 14 kills and 11 digs.
Trailing 11-9 in the first game, Baylor put together a five-point run to reach game point at 14-11. However, UNLV battled back to tie the match 14-14, but could not get any closer. The Rebels hit .304 in the first game and held Baylor to a .256 attacking percentage, thanks in part to six total blocks.
In game two, the Bears again found themselves trailing 8-6. This time, Baylor ripped off seven straight points to take a 13-8 advantage. UNLV worked back to 14-11 before Stevie Nicholas put the game away with a kill. The Rebel attack was just as strong in the second game (.310), but Baylor ripped UNLV for a .340 team attacking percentage. Atkinson had six errorless kills and Sunny Nicholas had four errorless kills in the game.
Baylor looked to be ready to put the match away with ease in game three, leading 13-4. However, the Rebels again refused to fold, scoring 10 of the next 11 points to tie the game at 14-14. From there, Baylor got its 15th point on a Sunny Nicholas kill and then UNLV setter Maria Julia Goes was called for a lift to end the match.
The Bears finished the night with a .272 team attacking percentage, dipping back down to .230 in game three. All-Big 12 candidate Dana Chuha paced the Baylor offense with 54 assists. The junior from Yorba Linda, Calif., also had six kills with only one error in 12 attempts. Kimmy Scott contributed on the back row with 13 digs, while freshman Tisha Schwartz came off the bench for eight kills and three blocks.
UNLV put four players in double figures for kills on the night, led by Amber Graham and Blair Wilkes with 16 each. Graham hit .467 for the match, while Wilkes hit .375. Patricia Assuncao and Shannon Chase led the Rebels with 12 digs each.
In the first match of the day, UCLA pounded Connecticut for a .352 team attacking percentage. Ashley Bowles blasted 21 kills with only three errors and hit .576 on the match to lead the Bruins to victory. Elisabeth Bachman added 14 kills and a .500 attacking percentage, while Kristee Porter had 15 kills and a team-high 10 digs.
Connecticut was held to a team attacking percentage of .171, committing 27 errors against 49 kills. Stephanie Schindel had 13 kills and a match-high 12 digs, while Melissa Wooley had 12 kills and four service aces.
Ironically, UCLA was the only of the three teams Baylor had faced prior to this weekend. The Bruins posted a 15-11, 15-4, 15-7 victory in Waco during the 1997 season.
