The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
5-12, 1-8SEC
Florida
14-3, 7-1SEC
Thomas Leads Rebels In Loss To No. 13 Florida
10/14/2011 | Volleyball
Oct. 14, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - Senior middle blocker Regina Thomas led the Rebels as the Southeastern Conference's top hitter put down seven kills and hit .500 for the night, but it wasn't enough as Ole Miss (5-12, 1-8 SEC) fell to No. 13 Florida (14-3, 7-1 SEC) by a score of 3-0 (23-25, 21-25, 11-25).
Thomas added three blocks and was joined on the attack by junior Allegra Wells, who put down a team-leading nine kills in the match. Senior libero Morgan Springer led the back row defense with 12 digs on the night as Ole Miss fought hard early, but couldn't overcome the Gator attack.
"We competed well in the first two sets up to a point, but we have to continue to work on playing all the way through," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "We have a bad habit of letting off the gas as we approach the finish line and that needs to be the other way around. We have got to find a way to get the ball to Regina Thomas more."
Ole Miss came out swinging in the first set, matching the Gators point-for-point before inching out to a 10-8 lead. Florida responded with a run, moving back in front of the home team as four straight attack errors aided the Gators in gaining momentum.
The Rebels responded, repeatedly fighting back and cutting the Florida lead to one on four separate occasions down the stretch. But, the Gators held on and claimed the first set 25-23.
Ole Miss grabbed the first two points of the second set, only to see a Florida answering run erase the lead as the Gators charged in front 10-6 and established a rhythm in the frame. The Rebels fought back, cutting the lead to one at 19-18, but again couldn't overtake Florida as the Gators claimed the second set 25-21 and held a two set advantage at the break.
It was all Florida in the third set as the Gators rushed to a 5-1 lead and saw the advantage grow to 14-7 before the Rebels were forced to call a timeout to halt the Florida run. Ole Miss couldn't slow down the Gator offense, however, as Florida went on to win the match with a 25-11 victory in the third set.
Ole Miss will return to action on Sunday when the Rebels host South Carolina. The match is set to start at 1:30 p.m. at the Gillom Sports Center and admission is free.
