The University of Mississippi Athletics
Kieckhaefer Helps Lead Rebels Past Mississippi State 3-1
10/5/2007 | Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. Rachel Kieckhaefer finished one kill shy of a triple-double on Friday as the junior setter helped lead the Rebels to a big win on Friday as Ole Miss (14-4, 4-3 SEC) took down Mississippi State (6-10, 1-6 SEC) by a score of 3-1 (30-22, 30-28, 22-30, 30-27). Kieckhaefer finished the night with nine kills, 52 assists and 11 digs on the night as she hit .421 for the match.
After having
“Anytime you beat State, it’s a good win,” said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. “I feel that we controlled the match in the first two games. That’s a great way to start and to set the tone.”
Caitlin Weiss led the Rebels in kills and service aces with 14 and four, respectively. Outside hitters Katie Kramer and Jackie Jones both collected 12 kills on the night with junior Emily Jones not far behind with 10. Senior Tara Langley posted 18 digs in the victory.
Game one saw the Bulldogs strike with the first point off of a service ace. However, Ole Miss answered back with a Weiss kill and a 3-0 scoring run before State would take the lead at 5-3.
The lead bounced back-and-forth throughout the game before a 7-1 run was started by a Jackie Jones kill to help the Rebels move ahead 14-10.
Two Mississippi State timeouts would not slow things down as a block by seniors Kramer and Lauren Moffett out of the break kept the lead with Ole Miss as the Rebels took game one 30-22.
Ole Miss took an early 5-3 lead to start off game two with a solo block by Emily Jones.
With State finding the lead 11-13 after a Rebel service error, Ole Miss collected six straight points started by a Jackie Jones kill and capped off with a service ace by Weiss.
After holding a lead as large as five, State inched its way back to close the gap 26-25. However, Kieckhaefer set Emily Jones for the kill to help seal the deal with a score of 30-28.
The teams exchanged scores at the start of game three to find themselves tied at 6 after a kill by Kramer. After having control of the first two games, the Rebels never found a break in this game and would not lead for the rest of the game.
The closest Ole Miss came to catching State came after a kill by Weiss to bring the Rebels only down by one at 9-10.
Weiss would try again late in the game with a kill, but State would keep the score at 20-26. A kill by Jackie Jones gave the Rebels another chance to bring the score in closer, but the Bulldogs avoided the sweep with a 30-22 win.
The start of game four put Ole Miss in a quick 6-2 lead. After a Bulldog timeout, State found a way to gain momentum and brought the score to 9-8.
Back-to-back kills from Emily Jones and service ace by Weiss put the Rebels back on top, but the two teams exchanged scores and a Rachel Kieckhaefer kill tied the score at 14.
A block by Keefe and Kramer broke the tie to lift Ole Miss over State and would keep the Rebels in the lead for the rest of the game. Although State closed the gap to as much as two, the home team prevailed 30-27 to take the match.
The Rebels return to action on Sunday to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide at 1:30 p.m. in the
