The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss to Host Arkansas Friday
11/4/2015 | Volleyball
Complete Notes | Watch: SECN+
OXFORD, Miss. -- Football isn't the only team hosting Arkansas this weekend. The Ole Miss volleyball team kicks off the weekend with a rematch against the Razorbacks Friday at 6:30 p.m., at the Gillom Sports Center.
Ole Miss enters the match at 19-7 overall and 5-6 in the SEC, while Arkansas comes in with a 14-8 record, 4-6 in the conference play.
Promotions
Friday is Military Appreciation Night and the first 200 fans will receive a free Ole Miss Volleyball long sleeve t-shirt.
Quick Hits
• Ole Miss nabbed its second SEC road victory last Wednesday with a 3-1 win at Georgia. The Rebels have now won three straight against Georgia. On Sunday, the Rebels lost at South Carolina 3-0. At 19-7 overall and 5-6 in the SEC, the Rebels currently sit in seventh place in the SEC standings, one win from fifth place.
• Senior Nakeyta Clair added another record to her career last week. In the first set at Georgia, she became the school record holder in block assists with 310 currently. Clair now holds all three career blocking records at Ole Miss. She finished with a season-high seven blocks at Georgia.
• The Rebels won their first match of the year (Georgia) when hitting below .200 and lost their first match of the year (South Carolina) when outhitting the opponent.
• Sophomore Kate Gibson recorded her fifth double-double of the year and third in SEC play with 11 kills and 11 digs at South Carolina.
• Senior Nakeyta Clair notched her 400th block in the match and finished the day with nine kills on a .400 clip and two blocks. Her .400 hitting percentage ended a streak of four consecutive matches where she hit below her average.
• The Rebels rank in the top five in the SEC in hitting percentage (.240 - 5th) and kills per set (13.58 - 5th), while leading in services aces per set (1.64).
• Ty Laporte ranks fifth in the SEC and 30th in the nation in hitting percentage at .390 and sixth in SEC matches only at .386. Nakeyta Clair ranks seventh in the SEC and 44th in the nation in hitting percentage at .377. Clair also ranks 12th in the SEC in points per set with 3.69. Kathryn Cather ranks fourth (0.34) and Kristen Brashear ranks fifth (0.33) in aces per set. Brashear ranks seventh overall in digs per set at 3.97 and is fourth in SEC matches only at 4.33 per set.
Scouting Arkansas
Arkansas comes into Friday's match at 14-8 overall and 4-6 in the SEC. The Razorbacks lost in five to Alabama last Sunday after beating Auburn 3-2 last Friday. Pilar Victoria was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week after totaling 56 kills and a pair of double-doubles during the team's last homestand. She is averaging 4.81 kills per set. Breana Jones ranks second in the league, hitting .430.
Rebels vs. Razorbacks
Arkansas leads the all-time series 30-12, but the Rebels snapped a six-match losing streak in the series with a 3-2 win in Fayetteville on Oct. 18. The last time the two teams played in Oxford (2013), the Razorbacks won 3-0.
Last Meeting
The earlier meeting this year in Fayetteville was an exciting one, as the two teams battled for five sets. The first two sets went to overtime, with the Rebels winning the first one 27-25, and the Razorbacks taking set two 29-27. Ole Miss took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-21 win in set three, but the Razorbacks came out firing in the fourth set and won it 25-14 to force a fifth. Ty Laporte had five of her team-high 17 kills in the final set to lead the Rebels past Arkansas 15-13 for the 3-2 victory.
Arkansas Rebels
Fayetteville native Aubrey Edie provided the final blow in the previous meeting, winning the joust at the net on match point. It marked her first win in Fayetteville with the Rebels. Head coach Steven McRoberts hails from North Little Rock. He went to Central Arkansas Christian High School and Harding University.
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.
