The Ole Miss Rebels traveled to Savannah, Ga., to play in the Allstate SEC Tournament from Friday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov. 23 at Enmarket Arena.
LSU (won 3-0)
The Rebels defeated No. 11 ranked LSU with a sweep in the opening round tournament.
Ole Miss took the first lead in the game. LSU service errors gave the Rebels a 10-5 lead. Senior Cammy Niesen hit an ace and Meyer scored kills at the net to extend the lead to 19-9.
Johnson tallied the last three of the five points just from kills to take the first set 25-13.
LSU opened set two with a quick 4–2 lead, but the Rebels turned it into a 9–6 lead. Meyer and Johnson once again drove the offense.
Ole Miss kept that cushion until a crushing 5–0 run, fueled by three Johnson kills, blew the game open to 18–10. Meyer finished the job, staying hot with four late kills to wrap up a smooth 25–13 win.
In the third set, both matched each other to a 9-9 start. A massive block on the net by Gabi Placide created a three point gap. With huge offensive swings from Johnson, Meyers and Tessa Jones, LSU was unable to respond. Ole Miss took the third and final set 25-18.
Shayla Meyer, outside hitter for the Rebels (13-14, 4-11 SEC), tallied 17 kills on a career best .600 hitting percentage and added seven digs to her name.
Melia Johnson, freshman outside hitter also had a strong outing with 13 kills on a .292. Senior setter, Mokihana Tufono added 37 assists and 10 digs.
Missouri (won 3-2)
The Rebels continued on in the SEC Tournament on Saturday against the No. 6 seed Missouri Tigers in the second round.
Both teams opened the match with strong defensive play. Ole Miss left most of the early offensive success to Placide. She delivered three quick kills, and the Rebels capitalized on five Missouri errors to build a 13–11 lead.
However, a Missouri block just before the media timeout sparked a 6–1 surge that flipped the set. The Tigers kept control from there and won the first set 25–20.
Ole Miss seized early in the second set with a 6–2 advantage before Missouri countered with another run. This time, the Rebels answered right back.
A kill from Meyer reclaimed an 11–10 lead and sparked a dominant stretch. Meyer added eight more kills the rest of the way, including a solo 4–0 run that broke a 21–21 deadlock and lifted the Rebels to a 25–21 win.
Missouri opened the third set with a 5–0 lead, but the Rebels held steady. A decisive 5–0 run, powered by two Carly Paugh kills, pushed Ole Miss ahead 15–13.
Placide and Melia Johnson helped maintain the lead until the Tigers pulled a tie at 22–22, but swings from Tufono and Paugh secured the 25–23 victory.
The fourth set nearly mirrored the previous one, with Missouri jumping in front before Ole Miss battled back to even it at 13–13.
The Tigers answered with timely offense to go up 18–15, and although Meyer tried to spark a response, a quick 5–0 Missouri run closed the door. The Tigers claimed the set, 25–17.
The fifth and final set was back and forth, with Missouri earning match point at 14–12. Ole Miss survived with plays from Niesen, Placide and Johnson, then took match point with a Placide and Paugh block. An error by Missouri ended the match to give the Rebels a 16–14 win.
Placide paced the Rebels offense with an outstanding 25 kills and 10 digs while Meyer added 18 kills and 15 digs.
Tufono had another breakthrough as a setter with 52 assists and 11 digs, while Niesen grabbed 20 digs.
Texas (lost 3-0)
The Lady Rebels advanced to the quarterfinals but fell 3-0 against No. 3 Texas Sunday night.
The Longhorns played strong offensively to start the first set. Placide gave Ole Miss early rhythm with a set of kills, but Texas took an 8-0 run and a huge lead, 21-7. The Longhorns took the first set 25-11.
Ole Miss opened the second set with three quick kills, but Texas quickly countered and used a 7-1 run to take control at 16-7.
The Rebels fought back behind a kill and block from Tufono, plus key swings from Aniya Lewis and Meyer to cut it to 23-17 and force a Texas timeout. Still, the Longhorns closed it out and won the set 25-17.
Texas began the third set with nothing but power. Johnson on the offense added four kills, but the Longhorns closed the third and final set 25-8.
