Ole Miss volleyball played its final match of the season on Saturday, falling to No. 22 Tennessee 1-3 (13-25, 13-25, 25-21, 23-25) in Knoxville.
The Volunteers dominated the first two sets, allowing just 13 points in each. The Rebels came out of the gates slowly and sloppily, allowing early runs and committing numerous attack errors. Senior Caitlin Wernentin had two kills in the first set, and after a slow start in the first set in which she committed five errors, junior outside hitter Emily Stroup heated up in the second set, registering four kills and an ace.
Ole Miss responded well with their backs against the wall in the third set, battling well with an elite SEC opponent. After Tennessee fought their way back into the match at 18-18, the Rebels outscored the Volunteers 7-3 to end the set, winning 25-21. There were three lead changes and 11 ties in the set, paving the way for a grueling fourth set.
Stroup recorded three more kills in the third set, also scoring on an ace on the final play. Wernentin added three more kills to her total, and freshman middle blocker Aubrey Sultemeier contributed two kills and two blocks. Sophomore setter Lauren Bars also had an impressive third set, recording two kills, 10 assists and two blocks.
The fourth set was the most competitive of the match, which saw long runs by both teams. After the Rebels tied the match at six, Tennessee went on a 4-0 run to take a 10-6 advantage and looked to stifle the Rebels early. However, Ole Miss responded with a 6-1 run of their own, retaking the lead at 12-11. The match was back-and-forth from that point on, and neither team could muster a lead of more than two points.
After falling behind 21-23, the Rebels tied the game back up with kills from Stroup and junior middle blocker Nayo Warnell, forcing a Tennessee timeout. However, ready to pounce on their opportunity and force a decisive fifth set, the Rebels crumbled, committing a service error that gave the Vols the edge they needed to close out the set and the match.
Sultemeier finished the day with six kills, four blocks and three digs to cap off an impressive freshman campaign. Bars ended with three kills, 30 assists, six digs and three blocks in a strong all-around performance. Wernentin finished with nine kills, two digs and a block in her final match as an Ole Miss Rebel. Senior libero Caroline Adams had a subpar finish to her superb Ole Miss career, ending with just seven digs on Saturday.
The silver lining all season, Stroup finished the match with 11 kills, six digs, one assist and two service aces. After shattering school records all season, the junior from Fargo, North Dakota, ended her spectacular season second in the country in kills (584) and points (640), third in attacks (1518) and top-10 in both kills per set and points per set. She broke the Ole Miss program record for kills in a season, a record she set just a year ago as a sophomore.
The Rebels end the season with a 14-18 record, 4-14 in conference play. After a red-hot start to the season, the Rebels faltered before entering SEC play and never managed to regain their footing. They will look to improve next season with a more experienced team, hoping to make the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.
