The University of Mississippi Athletics
Volleyball To Host Pair Of Western Division Rivals This Weekend
10/31/2001 | Volleyball
Oct. 31, 2001
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss volleyball team continues its four-match conference homestand this weekend with a pair of Western Division rivals. On Friday, the Lady Rebels will host Auburn at 7 p.m. in a game televised tape-delay by FoxSportsSouth. The game will air Sunday at 2 p.m. on FoxSportsSouth.
"We are excited to be on television and showcase our beautiful facility," head coach John Blair said. "This is a great opportunity for us, and we need to have a huge crowd. Both matches this weekend are very important in attaining our goal of making the SEC Tournament."
If Ole Miss wins its final four matches, and Georgia loses their last three, the Lady Rebels would be in the SEC tournament. The Lady Rebels lost a tough 3-1 match to Kentucky last Friday and then dropped a 3-0 decision to Tennessee on Sunday. Senior Abby Hollander recorded a career-high 15 kills against Kentucky and sophomore Karla Zschau netted a career-best 19 digs in the match.
Auburn comes into the weekend still searching for its first conference win. They are 1-19 overall. Grace Boyd leads the Tigers with 175 kills for an average of 2.82 per game. She is hitting a team-leading .273 on the season. Ole Miss leads the overall series with Auburn 19-14. The Lady Rebels have won three in a row including this year's earlier meeting in Auburn.
The first meeting was exciting as Ole Miss took a 2-0 lead in the match on Sept. 23, but Auburn would rally to tie the match. The Lady Rebels won the decisive game to hang on for a 3-2 victory.
On Sunday, the Lady Rebels will host Alabama, who comes in with a 16-6 overall record, 7-4 in the SEC. They are coming off a 3-0 win over Samford on Tuesday night. In their last SEC match, Alabama lost to South Carolina 3-0. The Crimson Tide is led by sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Bibber, who has 284 kills for an average of 3.89 per game. Alabama won the earlier meeting this year, 3-0 in Tuscaloosa.
