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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Culture Changed, Expectations Raised for Volleyball
12/12/2014 | Volleyball
By Austin Miller, OleMissSports.com
OXFORD, Miss. - The goal from day one for head coach Steven McRoberts was to lead Ole Miss to the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels fell just short of that goal, as they played Texas A&M to five sets in their regular-season finale, where a win may have moved them to the right side of the bubble.
McRoberts was pleased with his team's competitiveness down the stretch, going into their last match still talking about the NCAA Tournament, as they finished the season 22-10 and 8-10 in Southeastern Conference play.
"I hope we gave them confidence," McRoberts said. "I hope what they saw from the way we played the last couple of weeks that they're not going to be afraid of success, and they see we can compete with anybody in the conference, but there's a difference in competing with teams and beating teams. We're not where some programs are on a consistent basis, so we have to work really hard in the offseason to get there."
After a perfect nonconference, where the team enjoyed the best start (14-0) in school history and equaled their win total (14) from 2013, Ole Miss hit some bumps in the road and faced some adversity, only to play their best volleyball of the season when it mattered most.
"In the last part of our season, the team developed a competitiveness within themselves that I had not seen in the previous spring or the first part of the season," McRoberts said. "That's not to say they weren't't competitive, but they took it to another level, and it looked like we had a different mindset when matches got tight. It looked like we were not only fighting to win, but we were executing in order to win, too."
Along the way, the Rebels broke several individual and team records, giving the team confidence and adding excitement and expectations heading into next season.
Junior Nakeyta Clair earned All-SEC and All-Region honors, becoming the first Rebel to earn either honor since former All-American Regina Thomas earned both in 2011. Clair set the single-season record for kills with 366.
Sophomore Aubrey Edie joined Clair, earning All-Region Honorable Mention honors, as she set the single-match (62) and single-season (1,322) records for assists.
Sophomore Melanie Crow set the single-season record for aces with 42 and finished with 352 kills, the second-most in a single season, while freshman Lexi Thompson finished with 323 kills, the fourth-most in a single season and the most by a freshman in school history.
"Everybody had pretty good years, and hopefully we can take it up a notch next year," McRoberts said. "Hopefully, the players gained some confidence from breaking records and others coming close to breaking records that going into next year, knowing they left a lot on the table, we can come back and have an even better year."
Behind their individual efforts, Ole Miss finished with the most wins since the 2007 season (22-10) and tied for the most home wins in program history (12-4). The Rebels also posted a school-record team hitting percentage in a season (.254).
With their on-court success, McRoberts said, it felt like the community rallied around them and they had great crowds it seemed like every match. And with the launch of the SEC Network, it also paid dividends on the recruiting trail.
It also means the Rebels won't be sneaking up on any opponents next season.
"Other teams know basically everyone is coming back, McRoberts said. "Even if we're voted to finish around where we finished in the conference this year, they know where we're going as a program. Next year, it's going to be fun, but it's going to be tougher because of the expectations. Hopefully, we can raise our level of play to meet those expectations."
For more information on Ole Miss Volleyball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB, on Facebook at OleMissVolleyball and on Instagram at OleMissVB.
Austin Miller is a writer and blogger for OleMissSports.com. He joined the staff in June 2013 after serving as sports editor of the Daily Mississippian. Follow him on Twitter @austinkmiller.
