Ole Miss Volleyball welcomed Clemson to Oxford for the Showdown at the Net, a series of games between SEC and ACC volleyball teams, on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The Lady Rebels defeated the Tigers in five sets.
Both teams traded points, including service errors early. Ole Miss never trailed through six points, but were unable to extend the lead beyond one point. The Tigers took their first lead at 8-7.
Jorda Crook and Carly Paugh combined for a set-tying block, then Melia Johnson struck for a kill to take another Rebel lead. She followed it up with another strike to claim a two-point lead.
Bella Bonanno served an ace and Shayla Meyer followed it up with a block and took a three-point lead going into the first media timeout, 15-12. The Tigers never wavered though and stayed close throughout the first set.
Vivianna Samaniego made a nice play to save a point, setting up Johnson for another kill to reestablish a three-point lead, 19-16. After a timeout, Clemson made it a one-point set with an Ole Miss service error and an ace that Johnson thought was going out of bounds.
The Rebels took a timeout, then Clemson tied the set at 19 with a kill. At 23 a piece, Clemson delivered a service error to get Ole Miss to set point. Samaniego served an ace to secure set one, 25-23.
Clemson took the first point of the second set, but the Lady Rebels scored four straight after that. They made it 7-2 after a Meyer kill, a block from Paugh and Crook and a Johnson kill, forcing the Tigers to take an early timeout.
A string of Clemson points after the timeout, including a video review and a 3-0 run, closed the gap from six points to three. Ole Miss took a timeout with a three-point lead, 12-9.
The Tigers drew within one after a dominant 4-0 scoring run, leading to another timeout by the Rebels, 14-13. Clemson tied it out of the timeout with a kill.
Crook drilled a kill to reclaim the Rebel lead going into the media timeout. Ole Miss thought they had established a two-point lead, but after review the point was given to Clemson. Back-to-back attack errors from Johnson made it 21-20 Tigers, their first lead of the set.
Clemson secured the set with an ace. They did not lead until the final five points, but clutched up when it mattered most. The Rebels broke down towards the end, allowing two aces and making six errors to end the set.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the third. The Lady Rebels put the Tigers on their heels in set three. They led 16-8 and were able to regain much needed momentum. Johnson scored consecutive kills to make it 19-12.
Crook ended the set with a kill, 25-18. Ole Miss dominated the set from beginning to end. The Lady Rebels just needed one more set win to clinch the game.
Ole Miss got off to another flying start, scoring four of the first five points; however, Clemson was able to reel it back in due to Rebel errors. An attack error from Meyer gave the Tigers their first lead of the set.
Clemson took an 11-9 lead and Ole Miss took its first timeout. The Tigers found a groove and went on a 5-0 scoring run that started before the timeout to make it 14-9.
Later in the set, the Lady Rebels took another timeout down 19-12. A Clemson service error put Ole Miss within five, 21-16, but the deficit was too great and the Tigers won 25-18 to force a fifth set.
The Lady Rebels came out the gate in the fifth set, which only goes to 15 points, sloppily and went down 2-0. A roof from Crook and Paugh them on the board. Crook’s ace tied things at three.
Clemson quickly took a 6-4 lead and Rebel head coach Bre Henry called a timeout. Ole Miss had no answer for the Tigers and the deficit grew to four, 10-6, forcing Henry to call her second timeout.
Out of the timeout, Crook led the come back effort, drilling two kills. Clemson took a second to think about things with a timeout with the Rebels on the charge, 11-9 Tigers.
Hartsfield struck with an electric kill to make it 11-10 then Meyer delivered an ace to tie it. Hartsfield put the team on her back with another kill, this time for the lead, 12-11, and the Tigers took their second timeout.
Meyer came up with a huge save to keep the point going on a long volley. The Rebels won the point on a Clemson attack error, 13-11.
The Tigers clawed back to tie it, but Crook made it game-point with a kill. A Clemson attack error ended the game. The Rebels completed the comeback in set five to win 15-13 and won the game 3-2.
What’s next?
The Lady Rebels will take on Memphis on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. in Memphis, Tenn. ESPN+ will broadcast the game. Then they will partake in the Jayhawk Classic before beginning SEC play at Alabama.
