Rebels Look To Down State, Alabama On Alumni Weekend

By: Alex Cox
Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant

OXFORD, Miss. -- When the Ole Miss Volleyball team takes the court on Friday night, the Rebels will do so with a little extra boost added to the typically raucous crowds present in the Gillom Sports Center for each match.

That's because this weekend, the Rebels will be playing in front of some familiar faces and have the added motivation of competing, not only for wins, but to show a group of women in attendance that the work they put into the program over the past 34 years has been cultivated and is respected by the current athletes.

Ole Miss will take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night and the Alabama Crimson Tide at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday during its Alumni Weekend event.

After a slow start to conference play, the Rebels are hoping that a match against in-state rival Mississippi State during a weekend when the program's alumni will be holding a reunion will help provide an even greater spark for the team as Ole Miss looks to get back into the win column.

"It's a boost to have the alumni watching us because they've played here and know what it's like," senior Caitlin Weiss said. "We want to show them what they have taught us over the years.

"I'm excited to see Katie Kramer and Tara Langley return because I played with them when I was a sophomore," she continued. "We had one of the best seasons in Ole Miss Volleyball when they were seniors and it will be great to see them here again."

After a long two weeks on the road in conference play, the Rebels are looking forward to getting back into the friendly confines of the Gillom Sports Center and competing on their home floor in front of their own crowd for a change.

Junior Miranda Kitts, who led the team in kills in both matches last weekend at Auburn and Georgia, said the team is working hard to improve its hitting game before facing their in-state rivals on Friday. Kitts had 13 kills against Auburn and nine against Georgia. Sophomore Katie Norris also added nine kills against Georgia.

"We are getting back to the basics and breaking things down during practice," Kitts said. "We need to work on our front row hitting, but our passing and defense was good in our last games."

Sophomore Regina Thomas, who had eight kills and two blocks against Auburn last Friday, said she expects a large crowd and exciting atmosphere in the Gillom Center this weekend.

"We always have a really good atmosphere whenever we play State," Thomas said. "It's always exciting to see previous players and to show them what we've learned since they left."

The Rebels are hoping to take that energy from the crowd and use it to spring back into the form they displayed in their conference home opener against fifth-ranked Florida, when Ole Miss took the Gators to the wire - going toe-to-toe with the defending conference champions.

They're also hoping that they'll make their predecessors proud with another win over the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Related News

Related Videos