Ole Miss Volleyball made trips to Georgia on Nov. 7 and South Carolina on Nov. 12 before wrapping up its season at home against Florida on Nov. 14. The Lady Rebels defeated the Bulldogs, but they lost to the Gamecocks and the Gators.
Georgia
Ole Miss (11-12, 3-9 SEC) defeated Georgia in three sets on Nov. 7. This was the Lady Rebels’ first win in Athens, Ga., in 17 years.
The Lady Rebels fell behind 9-3 in the first set, but Shayla Meyer sparked life into Ole Miss with a pair of kills that cut the Georgia lead. Carly Paugh added energy off the bench and went 4-for-4 to pull Ole Miss to 13-11.
Gabi Placide helped tie the set at 20. She ended the set for the Rebels with an ace; her four kills boosted the Lady Rebels to a 7-1 run. Ole Miss won the set, 25-21.
The Rebels controlled the second set from start to finish. The Lady Rebels hit .351; Placide and Melia Johnson accounted for five of the final six points, and Ole Miss took the set, 25-18.
The third set was knotted up at 7 before Meyer’s four kills put Ole Miss in the lead. Georgia went on a 4-0 run to tie the set at 15, but Paugh and Meyerr combined for a key block to put Ole Miss back in front. Meyer later sealed the match with two kills in a 4-0 run. The Lady Rebels won 25-22.
Placide led Ole Miss with 18 kills and eight digs. Meyer added 14 kills and Paugh finished with seven kills and two blocks. Mokihana Tufono added 42 assists and seven digs.
South Carolina
The Lady Rebels traveled to Columbus, S.C., for their final road match of the year on Wednesday, Nov. 12. They fell to the Gamecocks 3-0.
Paugh led the Rebels (12-12, 4-9 SEC) with a career-high of 10 kills on .300 hitting. Placide had 10 kills and 11 digs.
In the first set, the Lady Rebels started sluggish on offense, but Bella Bonanno tallied two aces to start a 5-0 run. Ole Miss took a 15-10 lead, but the Gamecocks rallied to win the set, 25-21.
Ole Miss had a strong start in the second set. They built an 11-6 lead thanks to four kills from Placide. After that, both teams went back and forth. Bonanno kept the Lady Rebels in the set with strong serving. Her ace gave Ole Miss an 18-15 lead, but the Gamecocks delivered a strong response to win the second set, 25-21.
In the third set, Paugh reached a career high in kills, but the Gamecocks led 9-4. Placide’s two aces gave the Lady Rebels a burst, but South Carolina ultimately pulled away, winning 25-15.
Florida
Ole Miss welcomed Florida to the Gillom Center for their final regular season game on Friday, Nov. 14. The Lady Rebels dropped the match, 3-1.
The Gators won the first set, 25-20. Ole Miss bounced back in the second set for a 25-19 victory, but the visitors won the next two sets 25-19 and 25-21, respectively.
Johnson led the way for the Rebels with 16 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Meyer and Placide followed behind with 14 and 13 kills, respectively.
