The Ole Miss Volleyball team spent their week at the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla., for the first edition of the BIG 10/SEC Volleyball challenge. The Rebels defeated Ohio State 3-1 on Wednesday, Sept. 2 and fell to Washington in a competitive five-set match the next day.
Ole Miss arrived in Norman with a 2-1 record. They started their season with two wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Northern Arizona and a loss against Loyola Marymount.
Ohio State (win 3-1)
The Rebels opened the challenge against the Buckeyes who came into the match with two consecutive wins. Ole Miss did not win a single opening set in its first three matches of the year. This trend ended against the Buckeyes.
The first set saw several runs and lead changes, but neither team could capitalize, and it remained close from beginning to end. Ohio State held a 22-20 lead late. A thrilling five-point Rebel run, led by three kills from freshman standout Jaidyn Hartsfield, closed out the set 25-22 in the Rebels’ favor.
Hartsfield has impressed early in her freshman season. She has demonstrated poise beyond her years in huge moments, which will be an enormous tool for the Rebels going forward.
Early in the second set, the Rebels took advantage of several Buckeye errors to secure a 6-4 lead. Ohio State rallied back from their early miscues. Eight Rebel errors and five kills from star Buckeye Hannah Jones contributed to a 25-17 Buckeye win.
Ole Miss took large leads in both the third and fourth sets. Ohio State was listless in the third, and Ole Miss cruised to a 25-17 win. Conversely, the Buckeyes closed the gap to 22-20 in the fourth, but a three-point run, culminating in a Jaidyn Hartsfield kill, won the match for Ole Miss.
Cameron Bradley continued her strong play in this contest. She recorded 21 digs and three aces. Coming off a career high in digs from the game against LMU, it is encouraging for the Rebels to see Bradley consistently play at such a high level.
Washington (loss 2-3)
After the encouraging win against Ohio State, Ole Miss met undefeated Washington in their second match.
The Rebels fell back into old habits in the first set. An abysmal zero hitting percentage led to a largely uncompetitive 25-14 loss.
Ole Miss head coach Bre Henry went to the bench quickly, subbing in setter Tenesyn Frye, middle blocker Nina Moorer and outside hitter Melia Johnson.
Tenesyn Frye took advantage of the opportunity and recorded ten assists, a kill and five digs in her time on the court. Alongside starter Vivianna Samaniego, Frye adds important depth to the position.
The Rebels never led in the second set, but kept the deficit within four points from the start. Service errors plagued the Huskies for the duration of the match, which kept the Rebels close despite lopsided metrics.
A dead-even third set featured great defense from Ole Miss. Moorer played her best game in a Rebel uniform to date. She recorded a solo block and six block assists throughout the contest. Her most important play of the game came at 24-24 in the third.
After saving two match points, Moorer’s block gave the Rebels a 25-24 lead. She then followed it up with a kill to take a 26-25 lead. Ultimately, Ole Miss won the set 28-26 on the heels of two Washington errors.
The star duo of Bradley and Meyer willed the Rebels to a tight 25-23 victory in the fourth set. Meyer recorded a set assist, a block and five kills in the set. Bradley exhibited her stellar defense and even recorded a set-clinching kill.
After the success of the third and fourth sets, the fifth set was an unfortunate reprise of the first set for the Rebel. They recorded an appalling .105 hit percentage and lost 15-5.
Ultimately, it was not the showing that Henry desired out of her squad. They fought resiliently, but ultimately lost the kill battle by 28 and were kept in the match by Washington’s errors.
What’s next?
Ole Miss returns to Oxford this weekend to take on Southern Mississippi and Central Arkansas in the Rebel Volleyball Classic. They play Southern Miss at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, and Central Arkansas at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7.
