Ole Miss Volleyball traveled to Coral Gables, Fla., on Wednesday to play the University of Miami. They almost completed a reverse sweep in the SEC vs ACC Showdown at the Net but fell short 2-3 in the Knight Sports Complex.
The Lady Rebels built a 5-2 lead in the first set with kills from junior outside hitter Shayla Meyer. The Hurricanes responded with a 10-2 run and forced Ole Miss head coach Bre Henry to take a timeout. Afterwards, junior Gabi Placide boosted the Lady Rebels by hitting .455, which cut the Hurricane lead.
Miami took a timeout of its own, then the Hurricanes dominated the rest of the set and won 25-18.
The Hurricanes began the second set with a 3-0 lead. The Lady Rebels battled back; a kill by freshman Melia Johnson tied the game at 4. Three straight kills by Johnson and two kills by junior Shayla Meyer put the Lady Rebels ahead 10-8. It was a strong showing from the outside hitters.
The Hurricanes answered with a 5-1 run and kept up the pressure. The Lady Rebels were unable to respond, and Miami won the second set 25-20.
In the third set, four service errors by Miami gave Ole Miss an 8-5 lead. Meyer served her first ace of the night, and Placide added four more kills. Defensively, the Lady Rebels took advantage of seven Miami attack errors and won the third set 25-20.
The fourth set started out sloppy. Both teams committed errors, but Miami eventually pulled ahead. Down 22-17, the Lady Rebels rallied after a timeout to tie the set at 23. More errors from the Hurricanes, along with strong net play by Johnson, helped the Lady Rebels take the set 25-23.
In the fifth and final set, a sequence of Miami blocks put the Hurricanes ahead 7-4. Miami maintained their high quality of play and, despite an unsuccessful challenge, won the set 15-13. The Lady Rebels dropped to 3-3 on the season.
Henry’s squad will finally head back to Oxford for its first home match of the regular season against Louisiana today at 6 p.m.
