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UNLV's Lauren Miramontes Garners National Player of the Week Recognition

Miramontes named both Sports Imports/AVCA Division I and CVU.com National Player of the Week.

Nov. 26, 2007

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - UNLV senior middle blocker Lauren Miramontes has been named both the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I and CVU.com National Player of the Week, marking the first time in the history of the MWC that a player has garnered both national awards in the same week.

She is the second MWC student-athlete to be named AVCA National Player of the Week in 2007, marking the first time since the 2001 season (third time overall) that the league has had two players honored in the same season. Additionally, she is the first Conference student-athlete since the 2005 season to garner national attention from CVU.com.

A 6-3 senior from Upland, Calif., Miramontes led the second-seeded Rebels to their first-ever Mountain West Conference Championship last week with victories over Wyoming, BYU and Utah. She began the tournament with a 19-kill, eight-block performance in UNLV's 3-1 quarterfinal win over Wyoming. Miramontes also contributed five digs and two service aces, while hitting .341 vs. the Cowgirls. In the semifinals vs. BYU, Miramontes put down an MWC Championship and school-record 34 kills with seven total blocks, three digs and one assist in the Rebels' five-game victory. Her 34 kills also ranks as the third-highest single-match total in MWC history. In the championship match vs. Utah, Miramontes had 30 kills (.397 hitting efficiency), nine total blocks and three digs. For the tournament, she totaled 83 kills, which is also a new MWC Volleyball Championship record. For the week, Miramontes averaged 5.93 kills, 1.71 blocks, 0.79 digs and 7.18 points per game.

Miramontes is the ninth MWC volleyball player to earn Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week honors and the second to be named player of the week by CVU.com since the inception of the Conference in 1999, and is the first-ever UNLV player to be tabbed national player of the week.