After a 2025 season that fell short of expectations, the Ole Miss Volleyball team began their 2026 season at home in the Ole Miss Volleyball Invitational from Aug. 28 to 30. The Rebels, who went 14-15 (4-11 SEC) last year, defeated Southeastern Louisiana and Northern Arizona before losing the finale to LMU.
Southeastern Louisiana (won 3-2)
In the first match of the season, Ole Miss completed an exhilarating reverse sweep of Southeastern Louisiana. The new-look Rebels exhibited impressive composure after falling down two sets.
Jorda Crook, a 2-time All-AAC player at her former school (UAB), made an immediate impact in her first match with the Rebels. Her 19 kills and three aces came at critical points throughout the match, often serving as momentum shifts in a razor-thin contest.
The first set went in favor of SELU, 28-26. There were several ties and lead changes, but the deciding factor was defense. Ole Miss was aggressive throughout the entire match. The Rebels connected on 19 kills in the first set, but the patience and consistency of SELU led to costly Ole Miss errors.
The second set caused Rebel coach Bre Henry to go to her bench. Her team had more errors than kills in a 25-17 loss that was never competitive.
“Our recipe for success is going to be the fact that we have so much depth on our bench,” Henry said in a postgame press conference. “If someone is not able to capitalize one night, we have someone on our bench who has their back.”
Her decision to bring junior setter Vivianna Samaniego off the bench at the end of the second set paid off. Samaniego finished the game with 29 assists and made a noticeable difference in the quality of the kills. After not appearing in any games last year, Samaniego has clearly made a leap over the offseason.
Crook and fifth-year Shayla Meyer were integral pieces for the comeback. They combined for 15 kills in the fourth set to push the match into a deciding fifth set. Meyer is no stranger to the spotlight. This is her fourth straight year starting. Her veteran leadership will be necessary for the success of an overall young front line.
The fifth set was tense, but Meyer was everywhere. She flew around the court on both offense and defense; blocking, digging and killing.
Junior libero Cameron Bradley finished with 29 digs, a then-career high. Her defensive presence replaces Ole Miss all-time dig leader Cammy Niesen.
Northern Arizona (won 3-1)
The next day, the Rebels were back in action against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. Similar to the SELU match, the Rebels dropped the first set. A hot start from Ole Miss was nullified when NAU went on an incredible 8-1 run to take a commanding 21-17 lead. While the Rebels did not give up after that run, the deficit proved insurmountable in a 23-25 first-set loss.
There was no question who the better team was after the first set. The Rebel team took a commanding lead at the start of the set, and then capitalized on it further, going on an 8-0 run to put the set out of reach.
Meyer, Crook and sophomore middle blocker Carly Paugh all contributed to the incredible run.
Paugh exhibited an elite ability to pick her spots when going for a kill. This was reflected in her outstanding .615 hitting percentage. In addition, she was a valuable piece on defense with six blocks.
The Rebels led throughout the entire third set, until NAU tied it at 22-22. The Rebels went on a 3-0 run to win the set. Meyer once again demonstrated her knack for showing up in big moments, out-powering two NAU blockers with a powerful spike.
The fourth set was similar to the third, with the Rebels leading for most of the set and taking it 25-22. Consistency on defense was the key for the Rebels.
After the game, Henry said she wanted the team’s defensive identity to be “annoying. ” She referenced both Samaniego and freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Hartsfield as two players that are the most “annoying” for opponents to play.
Loyola Marymount (lost 1-3)
The final game of the Ole Miss Invitational pitted two undefeated teams against each other. Loyola made quick work of NAU and SELU, winning both games in three sets.
LMU took the first set against the Rebels, 25-20. Ole Miss was up 13-12 midway through the set, but an error-plagued six-point losing streak put LMU firmly in the driver’s seat.
Carly Paugh had an incredible first two sets, going 7-for-9 on her attempted kills. Her and Jaidyn Hartsfield’s play in the second set led the Rebels to a 28-26 victory. After 2025 Rebel kill leader, Gabi Placide, transferred to SMU, Paugh and Hartsfield are key components of the new Rebel front line.
“I really like to see them playing tough,” Henry said. “Jaidyn started off a little shaky, but for her to come in after that and put some big numbers up is huge for us.”
The third and fourth sets were both close, but ultimately the size of LMU proved too much for the Rebels to handle. They lost the third set 20-25 and the fourth 25-22.
Cameron Bradley had her hands full on defense. She finished with a career-high 30 digs. Bradley’s presence is greatly missed when she takes one of her infrequent breaks. Every time she was off the court, LMU was at a clear advantage.
“It has been really exciting to see her come into her own in that jersey, ” Henry said. “She’s able to get touches on balls and keep plays going. That is really, really exciting for us.”
Henry was disappointed in the loss, but was excited for the opportunity to play a team with a roster that resembled teams that will come later on in the fall.
“We wanted to be 3-0. That was our goal,” Henry said. “However, the glimpse of it is that LMU and that size is a little bit more of what we are going to be seeing moving forward, and definitely in the SEC.”
What’s next?
The Rebels will get more opportunities to see the size Henry was talking about this upcoming week. They travel up to Norman, Okla., to take on Ohio State and Washington in the Big 12/SEC challenge.
They play Ohio State at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept 2, and Washington at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
