The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
LSU
Volleyball Taken Down By LSU, 3-1
10/24/1999 | Volleyball
Oct. 24, 1999
OXFORD, Miss. -- Despite a 9-2 lead in the fourth game, the Ole Miss Lady Rebel volleyball team could not hold off the Tigers of LSU in a 3-1 loss in Southeastern Conference play on Sunday afternoon in the Women's Sports Complex.
The Lady Rebels (9-13, 0-9 SEC) fought back from a 15-5 loss in the first game to tie the match at one game apiece 15-9. Game one saw Ole Miss falling behind 11-0 before rallying back to within seven, 12-5, on three aces by Lady Rebel sophomore Jaime Burns, three of her four service aces on the afternoon.
"One thing that we are working on is getting off to a better start," said Ole Miss head coach John Blair. "We've gotten off to some pretty ugly starts this year. The only amazing thing is that we've been able to regroup after that and come back and play pretty solid volleyball. We've dug ourselves some pretty deep holes in the matches early on and that has hurt us."
The Tigers (14-10, 5-4 SEC) stormed back in the third game to score 14 unanswered points in the 15-1 win. In game four, the Lady Rebels jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before moving to 9-2, but could not hold on. LSU scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth to take the game and the match 15-9.
"We got out to a really good start in game four," said Ole Miss head coach John Blair. "We kind of caught LSU a little complacent, they were up 2-1 and were thinking that they could close out the match. Everything was working and we were forcing LSU to play well."
With the Tigers down 9-4 in the fourth game, LSU freshman Jennifer Hampton served to consecutive aces to pull the Tigers to within two and got their momentum going.
"We had a couple of minor breakdowns that resulted in some missed opportunities and in a game like that where you are trying to keep the match alive, you can't afford to do that. Once LSU got within striking distance, they played really well. We weren't able to match LSU good play for good play. They simply raised their level a little bit. It was certainly disappointing to have control of game four and not close it out."
With the exception of game two, LSU never hit under .340 for the match, including a .478 mark in the third game. Ole Miss, however, could manage only two games above .200, including a .000 attacking percentage in game three.
"I thought LSU executed awfully well," said Blair. "LSU was able to keep their poise and stay in their system a little better than we were.
"This team (Ole Miss) is so capable of playing," said Blair. "When we play, we are as good as anybody. We've got a lot of talent on this team and they are still committed to their goal of making it to the SEC Tournament, which is a little more difficult now, but is still not out of the question."
Ole Miss continues to see play out of many people, with a new starting rotation in almost every match, consistency on the court has been a problem. Twelve Lady Rebels played in this match, compared to just eight for LSU.
"We haven't had six or seven people step and latch onto the starting rotation," said Blair. "We still have people in and out and don't have consistent play from the group that is on the floor. Maybe that is the nature of this beast, maybe its going to be a really inconsistent team. We just have to hope that we are going to have fewer inconsistencies than the other team."
Three Lady Rebels had double digit kill marks, including junior Kira Zschau with 12, Burns with 11 and senior Lauren Dorcheus with 10. Senior Lisa Frannino led the team with two block assists, while three Lady Rebels picked up seven digs, Zschau, junior Renata Nowacki and sophomore Abby Burns.
Ole Miss steps out of Southeastern Conference play to take on Arkansas State on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in Jonesboro, Ark. The Lady Rebels lead the series with the Lady Indians, 25-17, including a 3-1 victory in the Ole Miss Invitational earlier this season.
The Lady Rebels will continue to look for their first SEC victory as they return to conference play at home this weekend, taking on Auburn on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Alabama on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
"I know there are some wins out there," said Blair. "There are definitely some wins out there."
LSU 15 9 15 15Ole Miss 5 15 1 9LSU (14-10, 5-4 SEC), Ole Miss (9-13, 0-9 SEC)
