Elaini Kollias enters her fifth season as an assistant coach with the Rebels.

Kollias has been at UNLV for all four years of the resurgence of the program. In her three years assisting Allison Keeley, she has helped the Rebels to an overall mark of 74-43, which includes back-to-back years of at least 20 victories, including 2007's 24-6 mark.

Prior to UNLV, she spent three years as a graduate assistant and assistant coach with West Virginia's volleyball team. During her time in West Virginia she was responsible for on-court coaching as well as actively recruiting the West Coast.

"Elaini is extremely personable, has a ton of energy and a great work ethic," said UNLV head coach Allison Keeley. "This combination of attributes makes her a great asset on the court and a tremendous recruiter."

Before joining the Mountaineer staff, Kollias spent eight seasons as a head coach for the Saddleback Valley Volleyball Club, coaching various age levels. She also assisted in a number of volleyball summer camps over the years, including the Junior National Performance camp and the South Coast Beach Volleyball camp.

Kollias started her playing career at Saddleback Junior College (Mission Viejo, Calif.) where she was named team MVP twice and was a two-time all-conference member. She was later inducted into the Saddleback Hall of Fame. She then went on to play for Concordia University in Irvine, Calif., and set a school record for most kills in a match with 34. Kollias holds the career record for kills and is third in all-time assists for the Eagles.

In 2002, she was a member of an American contingent that won the gold medal at the Scottish National Championships. The team was coached by George Mason University's Pat Kendrick.

Kollias is from Dana Point, Calif., and graduated from Concordia University in 1996 with a B.A. in elementary education. She earned her master's degree in athletic coaching education in 2002 from West Virginia.

Assistant Coach Jason Smith

Jason Smith enters his first season as an assistant coach with the Rebels.

Smith comes to UNLV after a two-year stint as the head coach at Arizona Western College in Yuma, Ariz.

In his two years at the helm of the AWC Matador volleyball program he amassed a record of 47-26, which includes back-to-back 20-win seasons and a 27-8 record in 2007.

Smith helped AWC to its seventh and eighth straight Region I championships. The Matadors were crowned ACCAC (Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) champions in 2007. The 2007 squad came one win shy of reaching the program's first-ever berth into the NJCAA Tournament, as they lost in the District A Championship match.

In all, Smith coached one NJCAA All-America, one ACCAC Player of the Year and six all-region performers.

More importantly, Smith was as adamant about his student-athletes efforts in the classroom than on the court. In both year's at AWC his squads were named an NJCAA Fall Academic Team of the Year for obtaining a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher.

Prior to AWC, Smith spent three years in the Mountain West Conference at Utah. As a Ute assistant, he saw the team reach the NCAA Tournament on three occasions and rack up a winning percentage of 73% (69-25). He was a part of one MWC Championship squad in 2005, as Utah defeated BYU for the title in Las Vegas.

In his three year's in Salt Lake City, he saw 23 Utes named to the Academic All-MWC Teams.

Before joining Utah, Smith spent two years at Ferris State (NCAA Div. II) and Iowa Western Community College after beginning his coaching career at Avila College (NAIA).

Smith played collegiate at Graceland University in 1992. At Graceland, he played on several regional championship teams, while earning his bachelor's degree in business and economics.

Team Manager Zach Thomas

Zach Thomas enters his fourth season as the team manager for the Rebels.

Thomas handles video duties, tape exchanges and statistics for the team.

Thomas hails from Johnstown, Colo., and came to UNLV after being the team manager for the Rough Rider volleyball team. He is a senior majoring in hotel management.