It has been quite a roller coaster ride for the Ole Miss volleyball team over the past two weeks. The Rebels won 14 straight matches including key conference wins over Tennessee at home and then-No. 22 Missouri on the road.
It looked as if they were on the cusp of a miraculous run to the top of SEC standings before their streak came to a screeching halt with three straight losses to some of the conference’s most elite teams.
“Our defense has stayed really steady. At times, our defense has been playing as well from that side as anybody in the conference, (but) we’ve had a little bit of a drop-off in our offensive efficiency,” said head coach Steven McRoberts.
The Rebels still have time to turn it around, but cannot afford to let the losses continue to pile up. With matches against Florida, Kentucky, Georgia and Texas A&M still remaining on their schedule, the Rebels have no room for error.
“I felt like the last couple games, we just weren’t playing like ourselves,” said senior middle blocker Nayo Warnell. “We were rushing things… (We need to) get back to ourselves and the routine we had before with the 14 wins.”
Their tough task starts this weekend with road matches against Tennessee on Friday and Alabama on Sunday.
“We’re approaching (these matches) the same way that we approached them when we were 7-0 on the road,” said McRoberts. “The fact that we’re 7-1 (on the road) right now lets me know that what we’ve been doing to prepare for the teams when we’ve been going on the road has been working.”
Ole Miss knocked off Tennessee at home in their first SEC match of the season, and the Volunteers will be eager to return the favor on their home court. The Vols are in the midst of a disappointing season coming off a 2018 campaign in which they finished second in the conference. This year they are 9-11 with just three conference wins in 10 matches.
Tennessee is 10th in the SEC, and it will be nearly impossible for them to get back into the top half of the standings. They now play the role of spoiler and will be in a prime position to come out and attack an Ole Miss squad that is desperate for a victory.
Alabama sits at 11-9 (3-6 SEC) this season and has struggled against even mediocre teams thus far. Their only three wins came against Mississippi State, Auburn and Arkansas, the three teams that round out the bottom of the conference standings. They won 20 matches last year but have their work cut out for them if they want to come anywhere close to that mark this time around.
This is their only matchup with Ole Miss this season after losing both contests to the Rebels last season. The Crimson Tide will be well-rested heading into Sunday’s match since they do not play on Friday, but fatigue has not appeared to be an issue for the Rebels so far. It could become a factor however if they are caught in another five-set match with Tennessee on Friday night.
After this weekend, the Rebs must shift their attention to the SEC leaders, No. 13 Florida.
