Over the weekend, the Rebels were able to secure their second straight SEC sweep, beating South Carolina 3-2, 3-0 in a two game series.
Ole Miss was able to capture the win in game one in a back-and-forth battle that lasted five sets.
The Rebels started the first set strong, getting out in front with a 10-3 lead, but South Carolina came back and tied with Ole Miss by point 18. South Carolina continued to dominate set one, and the Rebels were unable to overcome the Gamecocks. The Rebels fell 25-22.
The second set began with South Carolina in the lead until sophomore middle blocker Sasha Ratliff earned a kill, setting off the momentum for a win, and tied the score 21-21. The second set ended with a Rebel win with a score of 26-24.
In the third set, the game began with a kill by senior outside hitter Lauren Thompson. Ole Miss remained in the lead the majority of the game, winning the third set 25-18.
South Carolina dominated set four 25-17 to push the match to a fifth set.
In the fifth set, Ole Miss carried a steady lead from the start. Setter Kylee McLaughlin had a kill at point seven, leading to a three-point streak. Even though South Carolina kept fighting back, Ole Miss took the overall win of the fifth and final set, 15-13.
In the second match on Saturday Ole Miss dominated from start to finish, taking the victory in three sets.
The game began with a set by McLaughlin and a kill by freshman outside hitter Katie Corelli. The Rebels finished the first set in quick fashion with a score of 25-15.
The Rebels took the initial lead of set two at 5-1, with a four in a row serving streak. The second set ended 25-13, as Ratliff added to her kill count on the weekend.
Set three began with the Rebels trailing the Gamecocks 2-0. After a strong offensive effort, the Rebels went up 6-2. A back-and-forth battle ensued, but the Gamecocks were unable to overcome Ole Miss in the end. The third and final set ended with a Rebel win at 25-20. With the second win of the weekend, the Rebels moved to 17-5 overall and 6-5 in the SEC.
Next weekend the Rebels will play against the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on Sunday at 1 p.m. UTK is ranked fourth in the SEC standings with an 8-3 conference record.
