Ole Miss Volleyball Battles Georgia to Break SEC Tie for No. 1

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Nicole Purcell
Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports

Ole Miss volleyball returns to action on Wednesday evening as they travel to Athens, Georgia to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. First serve is set for 8 p.m. on ESPNU.

Ole Miss (14-4, 6-1) looks to rebound from a hard-fought loss to the Texas A&M Aggies 3-2 on Sunday. The Rebels and the Aggies went back and forth through the first four sets of the match. Ole Miss had a 12-11 advantage in the final set before A&M went on a four-point run.

Head Coach Steven McRoberts’ squad is tied with Kentucky, Florida and Georgia, who are also at the top of the conference.

“The team was very disappointed, the staff is disappointed, but also it’s an interesting feeling to come in on a Monday to be tied for first in the SEC,” McRoberts said.

Senior libero Nicole Purcell recorded her 1,000th career dig in a Rebel uniform over the weekend.

“Once again, just really proud of her for the work that she’s put in and she deserves that,” McRoberts said.

Georgia (14-4, 6-1) is coming off of a victory over then-No. 12 Kentucky for their first conference loss in 29 straight league matches. Junior Rachel Ritchie tops the squad with 214 kills, followed closely by freshman Kacie Evans, a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week, with 193. The offense is run by senior Meghan Donovan, who averages 11.41 assists per set which is good for second in the league. 

“They’re right along the lines with us in that fact that they weren’t expected to do as well as they have in the league,” McRoberts said. “We’re both up here tied in the league through seven SEC matches, so it’s fun.”

This is the 43rd all-time meeting between the two programs. Ole Miss trails Georgia 42-20 in the series. The Rebels have won six of the last 10 matches.