The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
18-3 (4-3SEC)
Alabama
16-5 (4-3SEC)
Rebels Stem The Tide 3-2
10/19/2014 | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Three weeks ago, the Ole Miss Football team came from behind to beat then No. 1 Alabama and on Sunday, it was the Ole Miss Volleyball team's turn to stem the Tide, as they rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Alabama 3-2.
After the Rebels (18-3, 4-3) won the first set 25-19, Alabama answered, winning the second 25-23. They would take the third set 25-22 and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Rebels responded to win the fourth set 25-22 and force a deciding set.
In the fifth set, Bama won three straight points to break a 5-5 tie and go up 8-5, as the teams changed sides. The Rebels countered with a 7-1 run to take a 12-9 lead. Ole Miss had three match points at 14-11, but Alabama closed to within 14-13. The Rebels set up their go-to player, Nakeyta Clair, and she delivered once again, putting the ball down to give the Rebels the win (15-13) and their fifth victory against Bama in the last eight meetings.
Clair finished with a team-high 17 kills and hit .560. Freshman Lexi Thompson notched a double-double with 15 kills and 14 digs. Four players recorded double-digit kills, including Melanie Crow with 13 and Ty Laporte with 11.
"This is a huge win for our program," head coach Steven McRoberts said. "Coming into this match, Alabama was fourth in the conference.They have had some good wins this year and are a top-30 RPI team, so this will help us from an RPI standpoint. I am just really proud of how well the team played during the entire match. From the first serve all the way until then end, this is the best match we've played this year."
The Rebels started the match with a 7-3 lead and maintained their advantage throughout behind the play of freshman Taylor Alexander and junior Ty Laporte. Leading 17-15, the Rebels closed out the set on an 8-4 run to take it 25-19.
In the second set, the two teams battled back and forth until Alabama gained an 11-10 lead. The Tide held on to a small lead the rest of the way and won 25-23.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set and forced Alabama to call timeout. They led 18-14, but the Crimson Tide finished on an 11-4 run to take the set 25-22.
The Rebels broke a 9-9 tie in the fourth set and eventually led 20-15, before the Tide won three straight points to make 20-18. After the Tide cut it to one, 22-21, Ole Miss called a timeout and came out and won three of the final four points to take it 25-22.
Ole Miss returns home Wednesday to host LSU at 6 p.m. in a nationally-televised match on the SEC Network. The Rebels are undefeated at home (9-0).
For more information on Ole Miss Volleyball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB, on Facebook at OleMissVolleyball and on instagram at OleMissVB.
| Ole Miss (18-3, 4-3) | 25 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 15 |
| Alabama (16-5, 4-3) | 19 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 13 |
