Rebels Wallop Tigers In Opening Match of TCU Invitational

Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Communications

Ole Miss hits .419 attacking percentage, second highest in rally scoring era

FORT WORTH, Texas – Ole Miss (5-2) hit at a season-best .419 attacking percentage and cruised to a 3-0 (25-6, 25-12, 25-15) victory over Grambling State (2-8) in the opening match of the TCU Nike/Molten Invitational at the University Rec. Center on the campus of TCU.

Ole Miss’ .419 attack percentage is its second highest in the rally scoring era, and is its highest since hitting .430 against Boise State on Aug. 31, 2002.

“It was a good start to the tournament, and hopefully we can keep it going for this afternoon’s match,” Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin said.

Sophomore middle blocker Nakeyta Clair and senior outside hitter Kara Morgan each had eight kills for the Rebels. One match after tying the single-match program record with nine block assists, Clair had a team-high five block assists Friday against the Tigers. Freshman setter Aubrey Edie had a match-high 18 assists and freshman libero had seven digs.

Ole Miss took control of the opening set from the first serve. The Rebels scored each of the first five points and 12 of the first 15 points to take a 12-3 lead. Leading 14-5, Ole Miss churned out a nine-point run to take a 22-5 lead and won the set 25-6. Ole Miss hit .588 as a team, and was led offensively by Clair and fellow sophomore middle blocker Ty Laporte, who each had four kills on four attempts.

A balanced attack in the second set, and a pair of five-point runs, led the Rebels to a 25-12 victory. Ole Miss hit .579 as a team in the second set, and was led by a set-high five kills from Morgan. Edie paced the attack in the second set with 10 assists.

The Rebels closed out the match in the third set with a 25-15 win. Freshman setter Laura Beaty had two service aces, two kills and nine assists in the set to lead the Rebels’ attack.

Ole Miss will close out its Friday doubleheader at 5:00 p.m. CT against Stephen F. Austin. The Rebels will then play Houston at 12:00 p.m. CT Saturday, followed by a match against tournament-host TCU at 7:30 p.m. CT.

For all Ole Miss volleyball news and information, including recaps after each match, go to OleMissSports.com. Fans can also follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB and on Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball.

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Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations
Sept. 13, 2013