The Fresno State volleyball team’s conference schedule began with a 3-0 loss to UNLV at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday.

The sweep comes after the Bulldogs swept the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds in their home opener Tuesday.

Fresno State middle blocker Maci Murdock tallied eight kills and two errors for a .429 hit percentage in the match. Zana Bowens and Carly Scarbrough were second and third, with seven and six kills, respectively.

The Bulldogs lost by set margins of 25-11, 25-18 and 25-17.

UNLV began the contest with a 9-0 run in Set 1, before the Bulldogs got on the board with a Scarbrough kill. The Rebels continued to keep their distance, allowing the Bulldogs to get no more than two points in a row. Fresno State did not make it to the double digits until UNLV was four points from victory, when Jaimee-Lee Morrow’s kill made it 21-10.

The Rebels continued their attack in the second set, with three straight kills to begin the frame. This time, the ‘Dogs were able to stay within three points of UNLV and tied on two separate occasions. However, each time, UNLV was able to regain the lead and pulled away for good after an 11-11 tie. The Rebels had a 12-1 run to close out the half and take a 2-0 lead into halftime.

After the half, UNLV took advantage of service and attack errors made by Fresno State to jump to an 8-4 lead. The ‘Dogs scored twice in a row on two separate occasions, but the Rebels continued to hold them off with a 7-0 run to break the set open. The game ended when UNLV’s Alexis Patterson and Bree Hammel blocked a Bowens kill attempt.

The loss drops the Bulldogs to 5-10 this season and 0-1 in the Mountain West. On Saturday, they visit the San Diego State Aztecs in an afternoon contest.