UNLV volleyball retires first jersey in program history

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Mariena Hayden couldn't believe the news when athletic director Eric Harper called to say her jersey would hang above the rafters as the first one retired in UNLV volleyball history.

WATCH | Alex Eschelman talked with Hayden about what the honor means to her:

"It was just a whirlwind of emotions," Hayden said. "From a small town, I never thought something like this would come of my career."

The two-time all-American is a small-town girl at heart, growing up in rural Minnesota, but the bright lights of Las Vegas caught her eye in eighth grade at a UNLV volleyball camp.

"That's when they had first offered me," Hayden said. "I was like, 'What, I'm going to college in Vegas,' and my mom was like, 'You're not going to college in Vegas,' but eventually I got to know the campus more and the community more and that's kind of how it became full circle. By the time I had to commit, that's still where I wanted to go."

Hayden's decision was the right one. The outside hitter set various records that include becoming UNLV's all-time leader in service aces with 352 and earning back-to-back Mountain West Player of the Year honors, which was the first for the program.

"I would do it in a heartbeat all over again," Hayden said. "My freshman year, we were last in the conference. We were awful because we had so many freshmen. We just kept growing, growing, growing. It was really fun to see starting from the bottom and building our way up to the top with a bunch of kids who were there from the start."

Hayden's jersey will be honored Saturday, Oct. 17 at UNLV volleyball's rivalry game against UNR. She currently coaches at her high school and will return to Las Vegas in November to play for the Vegas Thrill.

"It sounds cliché, but you can do anything you set your mind to," Hayden said.