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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
South Carolina
Thomas' Nine Kills, Blocks Not Enough In Loss To USC
9/20/2009 | Volleyball
Just days after taking the fifth-ranked Florida Gators down to the wire in a five-set match, the Rebels couldn't find a rhythm against the Gamecocks in the loss. Thomas' nine kills were a team high as she hit .400 for the match with only one attack error on 20 swings.
"We weren't very focused today and didn't play with the intensity we had on Friday against Florida," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "We have to learn that in the SEC, you have to come ready to play every day.
"We didn't execute very well," Getzin said. "In Southeastern Conference play, we have to take care of things on our side of the net. We made too many errors today."
The Rebels fell behind early in the first set, but were able to claw their way back into things and even the score at 12. Ole Miss then used back-to-back kills from Katie Norris and Thomas to take the lead, but saw the Gamecocks push back ahead with a run of their own. Ole Miss regained the lead, pushing out to set point at 24-22, but couldn't hold on as the Gamecocks held on down the stretch to claim the first set 31-29. Thomas led the way for the Rebels with four kills, no errors and three blocks in the set.
The second set again saw the two teams trade scores early, before Ole Miss once again managed to grab a slim lead at 13-10. Once again, the lead slipped away as South Carolina moved back in front with a mini-run of their own, extending their advantage to 17-14. The two teams went back-and-forth from there before Ole Miss took a 22-20 lead. But once again, South Carolina responded with a five-point run to claim the second set 25-22.
It was all Gamecocks in the third set as South Carolina stormed out to a 10-3 lead and never looked back. The Rebels managed to trim the Gamecock lead to five, but could get no closer as South Carolina took the match with a 25-17 win in the third set.
Ole Miss will return to action next weekend when the Rebels take to the road for a pair of matches at Kentucky and Tennessee. Ole Miss and Kentucky will face off at 6 p.m. Friday, while the Rebels and Lady Vols will play at 4 p.m. on Sunday in a match televised by ESPNU.
