Ole Miss Volleyball began their 2025 season at the O’Keefe Gymnasium in the Georgia Tech Classic. Ole Miss defeated Arkansas State on Friday afternoon, lost to No. 22 Georgia Tech on Saturday and beat Wofford on Sunday to begin the season 2-1.
Game one (won 3-2)
Ole Miss defeated Arkansas State in five sets in the opening match of the weekend.
Juniors Jordyn Towns and Gabi Placide accounted for the first four points of the first set. Placide’s six kills helped build a 21-15 lead for the Lady Rebels. The Red Wolves rallied to tie the game at 23, but redshirt freshman Melia Johnson’s first career kill nudged the Lady Rebels to a 25-23 victory.
In the second set, Arkansas State quickly built a 5-2 lead. Kills by Johnson and junior Tessa Jones kept the set close, but Arkansas State’s stellar serving helped the Red Wolves climb to an 18-9 lead. Arkansas held out to win the set 25-18.
The Red Wolves continued their momentum in the third set, winning 25-12.
After falling behind in the start of the fourth set, freshman Carly Paugh logged the first five kills of her college career on five consecutive swings to put the Lady Rebels back in game. As soon as Paugh left the court, Arkansas took a 16-13 lead; but the Lady Rebels responded with a 6-0 run.
Paugh came back in the game and scored two more kills, and the Lady Rebels won 25–20 after Placide’s service ace. Johnson added two kills and Cameron Bradley closed out the set with an ace.
In the fifth set, the Lady Rebels built a 6-3 with kills from Johnson and Towns, as well as an ace from senior libero Cammy Niesen. Johnson got two more kills and Towns finished the match 15-10 win.
Game two (lost 3-1)
Ole Miss failed to ride the momentum from Friday’s victory and lost to Georgia Tech on Saturday, 3-1. Placide led the Lady Rebels with 15 kills, five digs and three service aces on the match. Senior Mokihana Tufono added 45 assists and five digs.
In the first set, the Lady Rebels started off strong with a pair of kills, but they quickly fell into a 9-4 rut after the first timeout.
Bradley served a 3-0 run, and junior Shayla Meyer followed with a 4-0 run, cutting down the lead to 16-13. Jones contributed two kills and a block.
Freshman Keirstyn Carlton’s first collegiate kill, along with a service ace by Neisen, tied the match 23-23. After trading points, an Ole Miss Rebel block and a service ace by Placide won the set for Ole Miss, 27-25.
Georgia Tech responded in the second set. The Yellow Jackets put together a 4-0 run and defended well, winning the set 25-19.
In the third set, Placide’s three kills put Ole Miss ahead 7-5. But the Yellow Jackets got hot: they went on a 12-5 stretch to take a 17-12 lead. The Lady Rebels failed to catch back up, and Georgia Tech won the set 25-17.
In the fourth set, Johnson logged three kills early, tying the set at 13. She finished with 10 kills in the set. Georgia Tech put together a solid sequence to reach a 23-17 lead, but Jones delivered a kill and Meyer hit back-to-back service aces to cut the deficit to 23-21.
Placide’s two kills and one block saved all three Yellow Jacket match points, tying the set at 24. Placide and Carlton combined for a block to save the fourth match point and a kill by Johnson saved the fifth. After that, though, the Lady Rebels’ luck finally ran out, and Georgia Tech won the set 28-26.
Game three (3-0)
The Lady Rebels played firm defense on Sunday against Wofford to win 3-0.
The Rebels held the Wofford offense to a -.102, the lowest hitting percentage from an opponent since the Lady Rebels played Alcorn State back in 2009.
Placide paced the Rebels for the third match in a row. She finished with 13 kills and a .429 hitting clip as well as nine digs.
In the first set, the Lady Rebels climbed to a 9-3 lead. Wofford’s four service aces kept the game close, but Placide’s two kills and Niesen two aces led to a 25-21 victory.
The second set followed a similar script. The Lady Rebels jumped to a 10-3 lead. Paugh led the team with three kills, and Placide played well throughout the set. Johnson’s kills, along with miscues by Wofford, paved the way to a 25-14 win.
The Lady Rebels kept the pressure high in the third and final set. Wofford went on an 8-0 run to trim the Ole Miss lead to 10-7, but the Lady Rebels regained control. Kills by Jones and Placide finished off a 25-17 victory.
The Rebels ended the Georgia Tech Classic 2-1. They will travel to Brookings, S.D. later this week to take on South Dakota State and Wyoming. Game one is Friday, Sep. 5 at 7 p.m., and game two is Saturday, Sep. 6 at 1 p.m.
