Ole Miss Volleyball dropped both matches against in-state rival Mississippi State and No. 17 Tennessee this past weekend.
Mississippi State (3-1)
Ole Miss traveled to Starkville, Miss., on Friday, Oct. 10 to take on Mississippi State at Newell Grissom Building. The Lady Rebels fell in four sets.
Gabi Placide led the team with 26 kills to pace the Rebels’ offense. Keirstyn Carlton posted 12 kills, a career high, while Mokihana Tufono hit the third 40-assist, 20-dig match of her career with 47 and 22, respectively. Cammy Niesen anchored the defense with a team-high 24 digs, and Shayla Meyer added a double-double with 10 kills and 20 digs.
As a team, the Lady Rebels recorded 92 digs, their highest total since 2023 against Tulsa.
Placide started the match strong with two early kills to give Ole Miss a 6-5 lead, but the Lady Rebels were inconsistent from there, hitting .022 in the opening frame. A 5-1 Mississippi State run shifted the momentum, and the Bulldogs won the set 25-20.
In the second set, Ole Miss took an early 8-4 lead behind three quick kills from Carlton. The Lady Rebels held a 16-12 lead when the media timeout hit, but afterwards, the Bulldogs scored five unanswered points.
The Lady Rebels fought off three set points, with Placide saving two herself, before the referees overturned a late challenge which would have been the set-clinching point for Ole Miss. The Bulldogs went on to take the frame, 30-28.
Ole Miss found its rhythm in the third set. A strong service run from Bella Bonanno helped the Rebels jump ahead 7-4, and Placide took over from there. She had 11 kills in the set, the most by any Rebel in a single set this season, leading Ole Miss to a 25-22 win.
In the fourth set, the Lady Rebels pushed a 17-10 lead behind balanced offense from Placide and Meyer. However, Mississippi State chipped away with a pair of big runs to close the gap. Service errors from both sides kept the set tight at the end of the match, but the Bulldogs ultimately held off the Lady Rebels and won the set, 26-24.
No. 17 Tennessee (3-0)
Two days later, the Lady Rebels returned home to play No. 17 Tennessee on Sunday, Oct. 12. The Lady Volunteers swept the match.
Niesen, now the all-time leader in digs at Ole Miss, was honored before the match.
Both teams served well and were scrappy on defense. Tennessee took a 4–3 lead after capitalizing on an overpass for a quick middle kill. Ole Miss’ Carly Paugh responded with a kill of her own; however, back-to-back errors at the net from Placide gave the Volunteers the lead. Down 10-5, the Lady Rebels were forced to take a timeout.
Throughout the set, Ole Miss middle blocker Tessa Jones dominated at the net. The set saw several intense rallies, but the Lady Rebels lagged behind due to service errors. Towards the end of the match, Placide notched her second kill of the day to keep the Lady Rebels in the game, but Tennessee still held a 19-11 lead.
Tufono won a key joust at the net to give the Rebels a brief spark late in the set. Still, the Volunteers stayed in control and closed out the set 25-17.
The Volunteers, despite several mistakes, emerged with a 15-13 in the middle of the set. Placide, who is hitting .220 this season with an average of five kills per set, recorded another kill. Meyer came up with a strong dig to set up Tufono for the assist, and Placide finished it off with the kill to pull the Rebels within one, 18-17.
From there, however, Tennessee pulled away. The Volunteers won the second set 25-18.
The third set began with a collision between Tufono and Paugh. Both climbed back to their feet and immediately returned to play. Meyer helped reorient the Lady Rebels with a back-row attack.
Melia Johnson had a strong performance in the third set. She hit .333 with four digs.
The Volunteers held a 21-15 lead late in the set, but two kills by Johnson and an ace from freshman Bella Bonanno spurred a 4-0 run to put pressure on Tennessee. This last-ditch effort was not enough, and the Volunteers won the set 25-20, sweeping the Lady Rebels.
What’s next?
Ole Miss will travel to Columbia, Mo., to play No. 25 Missouri on Friday, Oct. 17. They will then head to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Sunday, Oct. 19.
