Rebels Rally For 3-2 Win Over Milwaukee

OXFORD, Miss. - The Rebel volleyball team closed out the first day of the Magnolia Invitational in dramatic fashion, rallying from a 0-2 deficit against Wisconsin-Milwaukee to defeat the Panthers 3-2 (21-25, 10-25, 25-16, 25-18, 15-12).

Ole Miss (3-2) won both matches it played on the afternoon and relied on a total team effort in the nightcap to pick up the come-from-behind win over Milwaukee (0-4).

Sophomore middle blocker Regina Thomas led the way with 12 kills and 11 blocks as she hit .435 for the evening to help push the Rebels to the win. Thomas only committed two errors on 23 swings in the match. Also coming up big for Ole Miss were sophomore Katie Norris with 13 kills and freshman Whitney Craven with 10 kills.

Defensively, Morgan Springer helped spark the Rebel rally with her 13 digs, while junior setter Emily Kvitle recorded a double-double with 16 assists and 10 digs.

"We saw an outstanding performance tonight from Morgan Springer as she came in and really changed the attitude on the floor," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "The first contact is so important and her play at libero made all the difference.

"Regina Thomas made some blocking adjustments and was really able to help shut down Milwaukee's attack. They are a very good team who prepared for us well. Our biggest adjustments came with the attitude we brought to the floor to rally for the win."

Getzin also said it helped that the Rebels had a raucous crowd cheering them on from start to finish, despite the slow start to the night.

"Playing at the Gillom Center is such a neat atmosphere," Getzin said. "Our fans stayed here and stayed up cheering behind this team when it would have been very easy to pack it up and go home after the way we started. The kids really feed off that energy and then the energy the kids begin to play with really feeds the crowd. It's a mutual thing and it's awesome to have those fans on our side."

Ole Miss and Milwaukee opened up the match in a tight back-and-forth battle, trading scores out of the gates early. The Panthers finally inched ahead of the Rebels, taking a slim four point lead, but were able to hold it down the stretch on the way to the 25-10 win in the first set.

The second set was all Milwaukee as the Rebels struggled to find a rhythm and answer the intensity the Panthers brought to the floor. Milwaukee stormed ahead of Ole Miss early - moving out to an 11-3 lead - and never looked back on the way to the 25-10 win in set two.

Following the break, the Rebels returned to the floor in the third set with a new intensity and energy. Thomas and Springer were a big part of the change as Thomas hit .571 with five kills and no errors to go along with a pair of blocks, while Springer came up with five digs. Ole Miss took a 4-0 advantage out of the gates and never relinquished the lead as the Rebels claimed the third set 25-16.

The fourth set saw the Rebels fall behind early, only to fight back repeatedly to stay alive in the match. Ole Miss fell behind twice, rallying to tie the set at 11 before pulling ahead and taking the lead for good. Thomas came up with five blocks and a pair of kills in the set to help pace the Rebels who tallied 7.0 team blocks in the set. Craven also came up big, hitting .571 with four kills and no errors in the fourth frame.

The fifth set was another pitched battle as Ole Miss fell behind early only to fight back and take an 8-4 lead when the teams switched ends of the court. Milwaukee would rally, tying the set at 11 before Ole Miss would again find an answer on a kill from Thomas that gave Ole Miss the lead for good at 12-11. The Rebels claimed the match with a 15-12 win in the fifth set.

Ole Miss will return to action at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in the second day of action at the Magnolia Invitational. The Rebels will face Akron in the morning match and close out the tournament against UAB at 7 p.m. All matches are at the Gillom Center and admission is free to the public.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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