The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
9-14, 5-10SEC
South Carolina
11-13, 2-12SEC
Rebels Blank Gamecocks To Pick Up Fourth Straight Win
11/4/2011 | Volleyball
Nov. 4, 2011
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Rebels got a balanced attack in an all-around team effort as Ole Miss (9-14, 5-10 SEC) pushed its winning streak to four straight games with a win over South Carolina (11-13, 2-12 SEC) on Friday by a score of 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-21).
Whitney Craven and Allegra Wells led the Rebels with nine kills each and both hit over .400 for the match to lead Ole Miss. Kara Morgan added eight kills in her homecoming as the Columbia, S.C., native helped push the team to the win.
Defensively, Regina Thomas came up big at the net with eight blocks to go along with her seven kills, while Morgan Springer came up with 15 digs to lead the back row defense in the match.
"This was a great team effort tonight," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "We played consistently all the way through. It was big to answer that South Carolina push in the third set and we did it calmly, but with intensity. Amanda Philpot really did a good job of distributing the ball tonight."
The Rebels came out with an aggressive attack, grabbing the first two scores and holding the lead until South Carolina inched in front at 9-8 off a Rebel miscue. Ole Miss pushed back, using a four-point rally to snap a tie and push to a 15-11 lead at the media timeout.
Ole Miss continued to apply the pressure out of the break, extending the lead and forcing South Carolina into a pair of timeouts before the Rebels moved up 22-15. The Rebels closed out the set from there, taking the first frame 25-18.
South Carolina grabbed the first two points of the second set, but the Rebels continued to press the Gamecocks with an aggressive attack and quickly moved into the lead 6-4 off a Carolina attack error and a Rebel block.
Ole Miss never trailed again in the set, moving out to as much as an 11-point lead on South Carolina before grabbing the second set 25-14.
The third set opened with the home-standing Gamecocks scoring first again, but a powerful kill from Thomas and a combined lock by Thomas and Wells on the next rally put Ole Miss on the board. South Carolina moved back in front and the Rebels fought to close the gap, but found themselves down 15-12 at the media timeout.
The Rebels continued to fight out of the break, tying the set at 17 before a Craven kill down the middle of the floor put Ole Miss on top by one and sent South Carolina to the bench with a timeout. The Rebels forced the home team into a second timeout with the lead up to four at 21-17 on a Rebel kill.
Ole Miss pressed on from there, grabbing the shutout win on a solo block from Thomas 25-21 in the third set.
The Rebels will continue play on the road on Sunday with a 2 p.m. contest at No. 17 Florida. The match will be televised by CSS and fans can also follow the action live via Gametracker at www.OleMissSports.com.
