For the first time since 2014, the Ole Miss volleyball team swept in-state rival Mississippi State, coming away with a 3-0 win here Wednesday night at Newell-Grissom, in front of a loud crowd and a nationally-televised audience on ESPNU.
The win snaps a three-match losing streak to the Bulldogs as the Rebels take a 70-26 lead in the series.
Ole Miss hit .381 and Mississippi State had 10 errors in set one, allowing the Rebels to jump out to a big lead. They never looked back, winning it 25-12 to quiet the crowd.
The Rebels kept the pressure on in the second set and jumped out to a 12-3 lead forcing State to call timeout. Two points later it was 14-3 and the Bulldogs used their final timeout. They never got any closer as the Rebels closed out the set 25-13 for a 2-0 lead in the match.
Last year, the Rebels led 2-0 after dominating the first two sets, but State rallied to take a 3-2 win. The Bulldogs went up 6-3 early in set three, but this time the Rebels battled back with a 7-1 run to take the lead, 10-7. Ole Miss led 15-11, before State used a 5-1 run to get to 16-16. Following a timeout, sophomore Emily Stroup gave the Rebels the lead again and they pushed it back out to a three-point lead, 20-17. State didn’t go away quietly though, as they tied it up 23-23. The Rebels got their first match point, 24-23, on a State attack error, but a tandem block from State tied it up again. Nayo Warnell stepped up on the next play and got the kill to hand the Rebels their second match point, 25-24. Lauren Bars and Warnell delivered the final knockout blow on the ensuing point for 26-24 and the 3-0 match.
Quick Hits…
• Ole Miss improved to 11-5 overall, 2-1 in the SEC.
• The Rebels improved to 70-26 against State and snapped a three-match losing streak in the series.
• It also marked the first shutout in the series for the Rebels since 2014.
• The Rebels 2-1 start to SEC play is the first time since 2010 they’ve had a winning record after three matches.
• The Rebels have posted six shutouts in their first 16 matches compared to just five total in 2016.
• Senior outside hitters Lexi Thompson and Kate Gibson finished with 8 kills each to lead the Rebels. Gibson also added 10 digs and 4 service aces.
• Sophomore Nayo Warnell finished with 5 kills on a .455 clip and tallied 6 blocks. As a team, the Rebels posted a season-high for three sets with 11 blocks.
• The Rebels also finished with a season-best 7 aces, including four from Gibson.
• Junior Caroline Adams averaged 5.0 digs per set.
Up next…
The Rebels return home and host Georgia Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Gillom Sports Center. Fans will enjoy free coffee and it is also Kids Court Day sponsored by Belles and Beaus. Kids ages 12 & under can stick around following the match and serve volleyballs on the court and get autographs from the players.
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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