.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Hit the Road for Pair of Matches
10/15/2015 | Volleyball
Copmlete Notes (PDF) | Watch: Missouri (SECN+) | Arkansas (SECN)
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss volleyball team hits the road this weekend for a pair of matches against top 30 RPI teams Missouri and Arkansas. The Rebels will face Mizzou Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Missouri, and two days later they will be in Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks in a nationally-televised match at 4 p.m.
Friday's match will be broadcast live on SEC Network+ via WatchESPN, while Sunday's match will air on the SEC Network, marking the third time this season for the Rebels to appear on the SEC Network.
Quick Hits
รขโฌยข Aubrey Edie passed out 30 assists and became the second Rebel in school history to reach 3,000 career assists.
รขโฌยข Senior Nakeyta Clair posted 11 kills and had five blocks. She now needs just nine to break the total blocks record (383) held by Regina Thomas.
รขโฌยข Senior Ty Laporte hit .615 with nine kills. She has now hit above .300 in 16 of the first 20 matches and has hit above .500 in three straight matches and four of the last six.
รขโฌยข Junior Kristen Brashear tallied 20 digs to move up to ninth all-time in career digs with 759.
รขโฌยข The Rebels rank in the top five in the SEC in hitting percentage (.257 - 5th), opponent hitting percentage (.183 - 4th), kills per set (13.74 - 2nd) and assists per set (12.68 - 5th), while leading in services aces per set (1.72).
รขโฌยข Nakeyta Clair ranks fourth in the SEC in hitting percentage at .411. Ty Laporte ranks sixth in the SEC at .400. Clair also ranks 14th in the SEC in points per set with 3.75. Kathryn Cather ranks second (0.45) in the SEC in aces per set. Lexi Thompson ranks fourth (0.34) and Kristen Brashear ranks sixth (0.33) in aces per set. Brashear ranks sixth overall in digs per set at 3.99 and is second in SEC matches only at 4.94 per set.
Scouting Missouri
Missouri currently sits in second place in the SEC standings with a 15-2 overall record, 3-1 in the SEC. The Tigers suffered their first loss in league play Sunday in five at Alabama. Missouri ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage at .284. Junior outside hitter Carly Kan ranks second in the SEC in kills per set at 4.37 and second in points per set at 4.93.
Rebels vs. Mizzou
Missouri leads the all-time series 8-5, including 5-0 at home. Last year the two teams split a pair of meetings, with the Rebels winning 3-0 in Oxford and then the Tigers escaping with a 3-2 win in Columbia.
Looking at Arkansas รขโฌยฆ
Sunday, the Rebels will face another top RPI team, Arkansas. The Razorbacks come into the weekend at 13-4 overall and 3-2 in the SEC. They are coming off two straight losses to Kentucky and Tennessee. The Razorbacks boast two hitters in the top 10 in the SEC in junior middle blocker Breanna Jones (2nd - .440) and senior middle blocker Chanell Clark-Bibbs (.389 - 7th), while junior outside hitter Pilar Victoria ranks first in the SEC and 10th in the nation in kills per set (4.59) and first in the league and 11th nationally in points per set (5.11).
Rebels vs. Razorbacks
Sunday will mark the first of two meetings this year between Ole Miss and Arkansas. The Razorbacks own a 30-11 all-time record vs. the Rebels and have won six straight, including last year's 3-0 victory in Fayetteville.
I'm Coming Home
At least one Rebel is excited about going to Fayetteville this weekend. Junior setter Aubrey Edie is from Fayetteville and played at Fayetteville High School.
Can you Dig it?
Junior libero Kristen Brashear was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Brashear tallied 20 digs to help the Rebels earn their second straight shutout of Georgia and their second SEC win of the year. It also marked the team's 10th home win, the second consecutive year to reach double-digit wins at home. Brashear ranks second in the SEC in conference matches only with 4.94 digs per set. Overall, she is averaging 3.99 digs per set, which ranks sixth in the league.
In the National Rankings
In the latest NCAA Rankings, the Rebels rank 16th in aces per set at 1.72. Senior middle blocker Nakeyta Clair ranks 22nd in hitting percentage at .411, and Ty Laporte is tied for 31st at .400. Freshman Kathryn Cather ranks 31st in aces per set at 0.45.
Quoting Head Coach Steven McRoberts
"We took some positive steps as a team last week, but this is going to be a big week for us. We haven't been really competitive on the road in the SEC and this weekend we go to Missouri on Friday and we go to Arkansas on Sunday. Both top 30 RPI teams. Missouri just suffered their first loss in the league yesterday at Alabama in five and then Arkansas suffered their second loss in the league, with their first loss coming to Kentucky and yesterday to Tennessee. We get them both when they're pretty angry. We're motivated and looking forward to the challenge. We're just trying to improve every day and I feel like were taking those positive steps to do that."
For more information on Ole Miss Volleyball, follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissVB, on Facebook at OleMissVolleyball and on Instagram at OleMissVB. Also follow Coach McRoberts on Twitter, @CoachMcRoberts.
