The Ole Miss Volleyball team hosted their first SEC homestand of the season. No. 3 Kentucky and Auburn swept the Rebels in both games. Ole Miss fell to 9-6 (1-3 SEC).
Kentucky
The Wildcats were the highest-ranked opponent to visit the Gillom Center since No. 3 Florida in 2013. This was the 65th matchup between the two programs, with Kentucky leading the all-time series 52-12.
The first set started out neck-and-neck. The Wildcats played cleanly, with few mistakes; despite solid digs from senior Cammy Niesen and attacks from junior Shayla Meyer, Kentucky took an 11-5 lead.
Meyers and freshman Keirstyn Carlton were relentless around the net. Junior Gabi Placide’s outside attacks helped the Lady Rebels catch back up. Still, both teams logged service errors, and Kentucky remained ahead 16-10. The Lady Rebels kept fighting, but the Wildcats maintained their lead and won the set 25-18.
Both teams were sloppy to begin the second set. Miscommunications led to balls hitting the floor on both sides. By the first timeout, the Wildcats were ahead 10-5.
A service ace from Meyer and some strategic tips from Carlton trimmed the Wildcat lead to just three, 12-9. Carlton located a weak spot on the Wildcat defense: the middle of the court. She tipped the ball to an empty floor for three easy points.
However, service errors from the Lady Rebels, combined with Kentucky’s dominance on the back row, prevented Ole Miss from catching up. A service error gave Kentucky a set point, and a kill from Kentucky’s middle sealed the set for the Wildcats, 25–21.
Service errors were the theme for the Lady Rebels in the third set. Kentucky outside hitter Eva Hudson had several nice shots, and the Wildcats won the set 25-19.
After the match, head coach Bre Henry spoke on the Lady Rebels’ self-inflicted errors.
“There was a lot that was in our control that we didn’t do well,” Henry said. “(We will be) highlighting those things to make us feel confident about going into Auburn on Sunday.”
Auburn
Two days later, Ole Miss returned to action against Auburn (11-3, 2-1 SEC). The Tigers swept the Lady Rebels, winning in three sets.
Auburn entered the match following a 3-1 loss to No. 23 Florida on Friday. In the first set, both teams opened with strong defense. Freshman Melia Johnson, who did not play against Kentucky, made several solid plays. Auburn, though, clawed to an early lead 9-7.
The Lady Rebels fought back. Meyer had back-to-back kills at the net, and, at one point, Placide had four kills in nine attempts.
After Auburn won its challenge on a block touch to go ahead 18-15, Henry called her second timeout. Meyer came out of the break with a kill, and a dig by Niesen put her six digs away from the Ole Miss record. Another point by Meyer cut the Tiger lead to just two, 21-19.
However, service errors continued to plague the Rebels. Auburn earned seven points off serves in the first set alone, and the Tigers took the first set 25-21.
A Placide ace in the second set slowed Auburn down. Senior Mokihana Tufono’s offense helped the Lady Rebels take the lead, 11-8. Placide remained a force and contributed both defensively and through back-row attacks.
Before long, though, Auburn caught on to Ole Miss’s strategies. The Tigers slipped ahead, 15-12, and soon reached 20. Despite Placide and Meyer’s key hits and Carlton going three-for-three at the net, Auburn won the set 25-21.
In the third set, the Lady Rebels struggled to break through the Tigers’ block. Yet Ole Miss fought, and a kill by Meyer after a long rally gave the Lady Rebels a slim advantage, 9–8.
But mistakes once again caught up with Ole Miss. Auburn played cleanly and capitalized on the Lady Rebels’ mistakes. The Tigers sealed the final set with the same score as the first two sets, 25-21.
Niesen had 10 digs against Auburn to break the record for most digs at Ole Miss with 1,633. Morgan Springer previously held the record for 14 years.
What’s next?
Ole Miss (9-6, 1-3 SEC) travels to Starkville to play Mississippi State on Friday, Oct. 10.
