The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
UIC - Rebel Classic
Rebels Recover, Defeat UIC 3-1 In Rebel Classic
9/17/2004 | Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss (7-3) responded well in the second match of the day at the Rebel Classic on Friday, defeating Illinois-Chicago (4-8) by a score of 3-1 (30-22, 30-25, 28-30, 30-18) behind the play of two newcomers.
Nikki Hill led the Ole Miss attack with a career-high 24 kills and 12 digs, while Tara Langley came up with a career-high 20 digs to lead the Lady Rebels to the win.
"The team looked very comfortable on the floor tonight," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "It was good we came to play with more intensity than we did in our first match. We maintained that intensity and stayed consistent. That's the important thing.
"Nikki Hill played great for us to hit .450 with 24 kills and 12 digs," Getzin said. "We knew she was that kind of athlete, it was just a matter of getting her comfortable on the floor. Tara Langley was outstanding at libero with 20 digs. She dug the ball well and passed the ball well, and we're a talented attacking team when we do that."
The first game opened with a bang as Hill rocketed a kill across the net that ricocheted off the face of an Illinois-Chicago player. The Flames answered back with a powerful kill that led to a five point run that would push them to a 5-2 lead. Ole Miss quickly regrouped and took the lead, 7-6, before the teams would trade points again.
The Lady Rebels pulled ahead, gaining some breathing room with a 22-18 lead that was emphasized by a Hill kill that slammed home to the court. The Flames called timeout to try to halt the run.
Ole Miss came out of the break hard with an impressive kill from Kristen Carroll, but the Flames fought back, cutting the lead to two, but then the Lady Rebels answered with another run, forcing the Flames into the second timeout of the game down 28-22. Tricia Eble drove home the game point, slamming a misplayed ball from the UIC team back down the middle of the court to take game one 30-22.
Jaclyn Toohey opened up the second game with a service ace, but a service error on the next ball put the Flames on the board. Ole Miss took a brief lead, but Illinois-Chicago fought back and took a 9-6 lead. Ole Miss fought back and tied the game at 10, and the point trading resumed.
Ole Miss emerged from the dogfight first, pushing ahead to a 20-17 lead. The Flames called timeout when the lead moved to 22-19 in favor of the Lady Rebels. Illinois-Chicago took the second timeout of the game when the Lady Rebels pushed out to a 26-22 lead. The Lady Rebels took timeout with the match at 27-24 following a brief rally by the Flames.
A service ace out of the break, but the Lady Rebels would answer with three-straight points to take the second game 30-25.
The Flames stormed out of the gates in the third game, pressuring the Ole Miss squad with an aggressive attack on the way to a 13-9 lead, at which point the Lady Rebels took a timeout. Ole Miss clawed its way back into the match, forcing the Flames to call timeout when the match pulled even at 13.
The Lady Rebels fought to wrest control of the match away from Illinois-Chicago, but the Flames held on tight, forcing Ole Miss to call timeout again when the lead crept back out to 26-23. The Lady Rebels fought off two match points to force Illinois Chicago into timeout at 29-27, but the Flames were able to hold on and take the third game 30-28.
Illinois-Chicago took the momentum from the third game and carried it over to the fourth, scoring the first two points before Ole Miss got on the board behind a Hill kill. The Flames kept the pressure up, pushing out to an 8-5 lead before the Lady Rebels would get on track and take the lead with a five-point run. The Flames called timeout with Ole Miss up 10-8.
The attack continued out of the break, as the Lady Rebels continued to push ahead of the Flames behind the double-headed attack of Hill and Toohey. The Flames called the second timeout of the game when the lead inched out to 23-15 in favor of the home team.
The Lady Rebels kept the attack on, pushing out to claim the third game and the match with a 30-17 win in game four.
Ole Miss will hit the road to take on Arkansas State on Tuesday, September 21. The match will begin at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
