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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
UAB
Rebels Down UAB 3-2 To Claim Magnolia Invitational
9/6/2009 | Volleyball
It is the third straight season for the Rebels to claim the Magnolia Invitational.
With the match in question in the fourth set and the Rebels trailing 12-11, Catherine Heck came off the bench and provided a spark to push the Rebels into motion for the win. Heck served six straight points - including three service aces - to give Ole Miss a 16-12 edge on the way to a win in game four.
The Rebels would carry the momentum into the fifth set and claim the match.
For her performance off the bench, Heck was named to the All-Tournament team along with teammates Katie Norris and Morgan Springer. Springer was named Tournament MVP for her defensive play.
"Tonight I thought Catherine did a phenomenal job," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "She really came in and made plays that were critical to turning around the match. To be able to come in and make those plays defines what a great role player she is for us. She was called on and stepped in and did the job we needed her to do."
Norris led the Rebel attack with a career-high 25 kills in the match and hit .320 on the night, while Regina Thomas added 14 kills and Caitlin Weiss contributed 12 kills. Springer led the defensive effort with 27 digs on the night, while Whitney Craven and Emily Kvitle both added 15 digs.
"This weekend we continued to really grow as a team and we matured a bit," Getzin said. "It's neat to watch the players progress. We got a lot of young players on this team. We have to take this weekend and carry it over into the next weekend and keep moving forward."
Ole Miss jumped out to an early lead in the first set, moving ahead of the Blazers 5-0 before UAB would claw back into the match and tie things at six. The squads traded scores from there in a pitched battle that saw the match tied at 25 before UAB snagged back-to-back points to take a 27-25 win in set one.
The second set saw Ole Miss again take the early lead only to see UAB come back and tie the match at six. The two teams again traded scores down the stretch before Ole Miss pushed out to a 16-14 lead and held the advantage through the end. A 25-19 win in the second set evened the score at a set each going into the break.
The third set once again saw a contest of evenly-matched wills. Again Ole Miss took the early lead only to see UAB knot things at five. The Blazers took the lead out to as much as five at 16-11, but this time it was the Rebels' turn to answer and even the score at 20. The two teams again fought back-and-forth before the Blazers claimed the third set 27-25.
The fourth opened with the teams trading blows yet again as neither team could pull away from the other. UAB gained the slight advantage with a two point lead at 12-10, but a kill from Norris cut the lead to one and then Heck came off the bench to work her magic and give the Rebels the lead on the way to the 25-22 win and send the match to the decisive fifth set.
Ole Miss fell behind early in the fifth as UAB took a 4-1 lead on the Rebels. This time, however, it was a streak of serves from Springer that threw the Blazers off track and sent the Rebels out to a 5-4 lead. UAB would tie things at five, but Ole Miss answered with another point to take the lead back for good before claiming the match with a 15-10 win in the fifth frame.
Ole Miss will return to action next weekend at the Georgia Tech Invitational. The Rebels will play three matches in Atlanta against Southeast Missouri State, Clemson and host Georgia Tech in the weekend tournament.
