The Rebels had a disappointing weekend at the Stephen F. Austin invitational, as they ended their five game winning streak with a pair of unexpected losses. The team came out of the weekend with a 5-4 season record after dropping two games in Nacogdoches, Texas.
After the sweep last weekend, the Rebels went back to their beginning of the season ways, tallying many errors over their three games. This problem had been fixed in previous tournaments, but the errors just piled up over the last three games.
On Friday, Sept. 15, Ole Miss split the day with one win and one loss. The first game ended in a loss to Tulsa and the second being a win against Sam Houston State.
Game one against Tulsa was a five set thriller that had all fans on their feet. Senior, Anna Bair, had 18 kills followed closely by Sasha Ratliff, and recorded her third career double-double.
Cammy Neisen, also had a career day. The libero racked up 34 digs, the most since 2010 and the third most in program history.
Even with some new records set, the errors overshadowed the offensive success for the Rebels, and they dropped the fifth set in a heartbreaker.
That night, Ole Miss once again took the court, looking to redeem itself against Sam Houston State.
The defense was outstanding, holding the Bearkats to a -.056 hitting percentage, the teams lowest percentage all season. Shayla Meyer led the team, achieving her first career double-double with a career best 10 kills and 11 digs. Though the Rebels pulled out the win in three sets, the errors continued to be a problem, as the team totaled 16 errors in their closing game on Friday.
Saturday afternoon, Ole Miss closed out its run in the tournament against Stephen F. Austin.
Four Rebels reached double figures, led by Payton Brgoch with 14 kills and followed just behind Ratliff in blocks. Yet, they were outscored in every category except aces by the Lady Jacks.
Ole Miss had its lowest hitting percentage of the season at only a .130 clip and 31 errors. The Rebels could not overcome these poor stats, resulting in a 1-2 weekend record.
Ole Miss walked away from the weekend with many things to think about. Old habits began to return with errors becoming more frequent. Over the three games 71 errors occurred, giving fans a glimpse back at what the team looked like earlier this season.
The Lady Rebels will look to improve as conference play starts Sept. 22. Next up, Ole Miss will face Alabama in the Gillom Center at 6 p.m.
