Ole Miss Volleyball Sweeps NW State and Austin Peay

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
Behind strong play from the pin hitters, the Ole Miss volleyball team went undefeated on day one of the Ole Miss Classic Friday, downing Northwestern State 3-0 in the morning and then following up with a 3-0 win against Austin Peay in the nightcap at the Gillom Sports Center.
Northwestern State match…
In the morning match, senior Lexi Thompson posted her 41st career and seventh double-double of the season with 14 kills and 11 digs, while right sides Emily Stroup and Caitlin Wernentin combined for 18 kills to lead the charge. Wernentin hit .700, Stroup .333 and Thompson .270 as the Rebels hit a season-high .280 against Northwestern State with 48 kills (16 per set). The Rebels also averaged 21 digs per set. Ole Miss won set one 25-19 and then hit .472 in the second set to roll past the Demons 25-13. The Rebels closed out NW State in the third set 25-19.
Austin Peay match…
Austin Peay came into the tournament at 6-1 with a win over last year’s SEC Co-Champion Missouri. The Rebels used an 8-3 run to break open a 15-15 tie in the first set and lead it 23-18. They had four set points at 24-20, before Austin Peay won the next two points to pull within two. After an Ole Miss timeout, Wernentin put it down to hand the Rebels the set 25-22. The Rebels got out to a 10-5 lead in set two and never looked back winning 25-15 to go up 2-0 in the match. Austin Peay led 18-16 in set three, but the Rebels went on a 5-1 run to take a 21-19 lead late. Sophomore Nayo Warnell had two of her six kills to put the Rebels up 23-21 and then Thompson had two big kills to finish off the Governors 25-22 and preserve the shutout.
Quick Hits
• Ole Miss moved to 6-3 on the season.
• The Rebels lead the all-time series with Northwestern State 5-1. It marked the Rebels’ second consecutive shutout against the Demons.
• The Rebels hit a season-best .280 against Northwestern State.
• Ole Miss improved to 3-0 all-time against Austin Peay
• Senior Lexi Thompson posted her 41st career and 7th double-double of the season with 14 kills and 11 digs in the NW State win. She hit .270.
• Sophomore right side Emily Stroup tallied 19 kills on the day and hit .333 against NW State.
• Junior Caitlin Wernentin tallied 15 kills with just one error on the day and hit .700 against NW State and .538 against Austin Peay.
• Freshman setter Lauren Bars recorded her fourth double-double of the year with 22 assists and 12 digs in the win over the Demons. She added 21 assists vs. Austin Peay.
• Senior Kate Gibson posted her sixth double-double of the year with 12 kills and 14 digs against Austin Peay.
• Sophomore Nayo Warnell chipped in 6 kills on a .308 clip and added 4 blocks in the win over Austin Peay. She had 3 kills and 3 blocks against Northwestern State.
• The Rebels averaged 19.5 digs per set on the day and still lead the SEC at 18.89 for the year.
Next up…
The Rebels will conclude play in the Ole Miss Classic Friday at 6 p.m. against Mercer.
For more information on Ole Miss Volleyball, follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissVB, on Facebook at OleMissVolleyball and on Instagram at OleMissVB. Also follow Coach McRoberts on Twitter, @CoachMcRoberts.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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