The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
21-8, 7-7
LSU
9-16, 5-9
Rebels Set Record in Win over LSU
11/15/2015 | Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. - With the season coming down the homestretch, Ole Miss Volleyball stormed out of the gates and then held off LSU 3-1 at the Gillom Sports Center Sunday, to set the school record for home wins and move to .500 in the SEC.
The Rebels improved to 21-8 overall and 7-7 in the SEC with their school-record 13th home win. LSU dropped to 9-16 overall and 5-9 in the SEC.
Hitting .524 in the first set, the Rebels jumped all over the Tigers early going up 11-5. They never relinquished control, winning 25-11. Out to a 13-5 lead in set two, it looked as if Ole Miss would win in three rather quickly. But the Tigers battled back going on a 9-3 run to get within two, 16-14. Leading 23-22, the Rebels won the final two points on a huge kill by freshman Kathryn Cather followed by an ace from junior Kristen Brashear to for 25-22 and a 2-0 lead in the match.
LSU carried momentum from their late surge in the second set over to the third set coming out of intermission. Both teams battled back and forth in the third set, but the Tigers used an 8-1 run to break open a 17-17 tie and win the set 25-18.
Set four LSU let 12-7, but the Rebels took over the lead on an 8-2 run and never trailed again. After LSU tied it at 23, sophomore Kate Gibson threw down one of her team-leading 13 kills and then a ball handling error from LSU handed the Rebels the set 25-23 and the match, 3-1.
Quick Hits
• Ole Miss posted a school-record 13th win at home.
• It marks the second year in a row, the Rebels have equaled or surpassed the most home wins in school history after finishing 12-4 last year.
• After Sunday's win, the Rebels will be in a tie for fifth in the SEC standings with four matches left.
• The Rebels improved to 18-1 overall and 7-0 in the SEC when winning set one. They also won for just the second time when hitting below .200.
• Sophomore Kate Gibson recorded her fourth straight double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs and had three service aces.
• Sophomore Lexi Thompson finished with 11 kills, five digs, three blocks and two service aces.
• Senior Nakeyta Clair tallied six kills on a .444 clip and added five blocks. She finished with 11 blocks on the weekend, 1.0 per set.
• Freshman Kathryn Cather hit. 400, with seven kills and only one error.
Quoting Head Coach Steven McRoberts
"We had some carry over from our performance Friday night in the first set hitting for a high percentage. We were in control again in the second set up 13-5, but then we kind of lost some of our intensity and energy, and the next thing you know, we are in a dog fight.
"Kathryn and Nakeyta both hit over .400 for the match, which was a big plus. Nakeyta also threw in five blocks and finished with a block a set this weekend. Our blocking has really helped us over the last month. Kate finished with lots of kills and digs and the three service aces. Something that doesn't always show up in the box score, her jump serve really stressed them, and we were able to get points off of that. Lexi had a stretch where she was struggling, so we pulled her out. She came back in and had two kills in a row at a big point in the match, late in the fourth set."
Up Next
The Rebels hit the road for a match at Auburn Friday at 5:30 p.m., before returning home to host Missouri on Senior Day, Nov. 22 at 1:30 p.m.
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.
