Sept. 9, 2006

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LAS VEGAS, Nev. - In the final game of the UNLV Invitational, Xavier fell to host UNLV in four games by scores of 17-30, 28-30, 30-26 and 26-30. It marked the first meeting between the two schools and the loss dropped the Musketeers to 3-7 on the season, while the Rebels improve to 7-2 overall.

In the opening game, Xavier again had trouble with overpasses as UNLV capitalized en route to a .394 hitting percentage and 17 kills on the game compared to only 11 by the Musketeers. XU committed nine hitting errors in the frame and had four receiving errors. Freshmen Hillary Otte and Kelly Ruth, along with senior Astyn Bjorklund each had three kills on the game, while senior Ashley Norris added two of XU's seven digs.

Game two saw the Musketeers begin the game quickly but the Rebels closed the gap as both teams played back and forth in the early stages. XU jumped out to the early 1-0 lead, its first of the match, and proceeded to extend the lead to 10-7 off an ace by sophomore Megan Hellmann. Xavier allowed UNLV to stay close for the remainder of the contest and the Rebels would eventually knot the score at 28-28 before adding the final two points to take the game and a 2-0 advantage.

The third game saw another battle from the very beginning. A game that witnessed 11 ties and six lead changes was contested to the very end. XU took the lead from the very beginning and would only relinquish it three times. However, when the Musketeers gave up the lead they reclaimed it every time within the next two points. Xavier would take the lead in the game for good after a kill by Jill Quayle, who was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts, made the score 18-17 in favor of the Blue and White. In the end, XU staved off a late rally by the Rebels and ended UNLV's streak of four straight matches ended in three games.

The final game found the Rebels jump out to a quick 10-4 lead before XU captured the next three points to cut it to 10-7. A put-back by Astyn Bjorklund on an overpass cut the deficit to 13-12 in favor of the home team and Kaminsky would put one to the floor making the score 16-15 but XU could not get any closer at the time. A block by Bjorklund would give Xavier its first lead of the game at 23-22 and start a back and forth battle for the remainder of the game. Over the final 15 points of the game, five ties and four lead changes would set the fate for the Musketeers and wrap up the match.

Danielle Skrajewski led the way for XU on the evening with 19 kills and 10 digs. The double double marks the 39th time in her career she has accomplished the feat. Freshman Lauren Kaminsky also posted a double double with 16 kills and 11 digs, marking her second career double double. Megan Hellmann led the way defensively with a team-high 14 digs and a career-high four aces. Jenni Horvath also added 11 digs in the losing effort.

Xavier will have the week off before traveling to Conway, S.C. and Coastal Carolina University for its fourth and final tournament of the season. The Musketeers will face East Tennessee State, North Florida and host Coastal Carolina on the weekend. XU will open play on Friday evening against CCU at 7:00 pm. The Blue and White hold a 1-0 advantage in the series with the Chanticleers.