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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
UAB
Ole Miss Takes Season Opener at UAB 3-0
9/1/2004 | Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2004
Box Score
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin has said all week that his team was itching to get a chance to play against someone besides themselves in practice. The Lady Rebels got that opportunity and made quick work of it, taking the season opener at UAB by a score of 3-0 (30-22, 30-18, 30-24) at UAB on Wednesday.
Ole Miss improved to 1-0 with the win, while UAB fell to 0-1.
Sophomore Jaclyn Toohey led the Lady Rebel attack on the night, notching 12 kills and seven digs, while senior Elena Garcia added 11 digs and six kills. Ashleigh Shear, a newcomer with the squad recorded 28 assists. Kristen Carroll, a local product from Homewood, Ala., turned in a solid night with nine kills for the night.
"Jaclyn has gained a lot of confidence and is playing well," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "She certainly feels more comfortable and her attack is a strong part of her game right now. To get seven digs along with that is great. She's maturing nicely.
"For us to hit .385 and dig 55 balls tonight is great because it is something we have been working on all preseason," Getzin said. "It's great to get out here and get a win."
UAB nabbed the first point out of the gates on a well placed ball that fell just shy of a diving Rebel player. But, the Lady Rebels fought back, taking the first lead of the game off a Jennnifer McGowan service ace to put Ole Miss up 4-3. The Lady Rebels found a rhythm, pushing ahead 7-4 before the Blazers called timeout to regroup.
Ole Miss maintained the rhythm established before the timeout, pushing out to a larger lead of 17-10 through a run of solid play that forced UAB to use another timeout.
The Lady Rebels pushed out to a 13-point lead at 26-13, but a small rally by the Blazers that chipped into the Ole Miss lead was all Getzin needed to see before calling a timeout of his own to steady his squad with the score 26-17.
UAB continued to fight, cutting away at the Ole Miss lead, but the Lady Rebels held on to claim the first game 30-22 off a service error by the Blazers.
The second game saw more of the same from Ole Miss, as the Lady Rebels took the first point off a solid block from Jillian Ohrman and Kristen Carroll. The Blazers stepped up the intensity to match that of the Ole Miss squad, as both teams fought for control of the match. With the match tied at seven, the Lady Rebels made the first move, using a quick run to push out to a 13-7 lead and force UAB into a timeout.
Ole Miss extended its lead out of the timeout, but UAB continued to fight to stay in the match and stayed within striking distance by trading points with the Lady Rebels. The Lady Rebels responded to the push from the home team, frustrating the Blazers with a small rally and forcing another timeout with Ole Miss holding a 27-16 lead.
Ashleigh Shear notched a service ace coming out of the break to keep Ole Miss on the scoring track as the Lady Rebels took the second game 30-18.
UAB opened the third game with a service ace from Jenna Link, but it didn't rattle the Lady Rebels who maintained focus and pushed out to a quick lead with a four-point run. The Blazers scrapped their way back into the match, trying things up at five with a run. Katie Kramer broke the stalemate as she slammed back-to-back kills past the Blazer front line. The pair of kills sparked a five-point Ole Miss run that forced UAB into a timeout with the score 11-6.
The Ole Miss run continued out of the break, as Ole Miss extended the lead to 18-10, but UAB fought back into the match. The Lady Rebels called timeout in the middle of a Blazer rally that cut the lead to 20-15.
Carroll, the hometown girl, snapped the UAB run out of the break with a powerful kill that started the Lady Rebels scoring again. The Blazers still would not go away, using runs of its own to stay within striking distance of Ole Miss. UAB called timeout on the next possession following a service error that pushed Ole Miss closer to the win.
The Blazers made a final push, but the Lady Rebel push proved to be stronger as Ole Miss closed out the third game with a service ace from Jennifer McGowan, 30-24.
"We can certainly build off this; it's a good starting point," Getzin said of the win. "We have great competition coming up this weekend at home in our tournament. We need to keep challenging ourselves and take this success and build more success on it."
The Lady Rebels will return to action when the host the Magnolia Invitational this weekend in Oxford. Ole Miss will play its first home match against Eastern Michigan at 1 p.m. on Friday and play again in the nightcap against the Baylor Bears at 7 p.m. Bryan will be giving free hot dogs to the first 150 people through the gates Friday night.
