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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Magnolia Invite Champions
8/29/2015 | Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. - For the eighth time in nine years, the Ole Miss women's volleyball team won the Magnolia Invitational, defeating Tennessee State earlier in the day and then sweeping Northwestern State 3-0 in their final match of the tournament Saturday night at the Gillom Sports Center.
With the win, the Rebels improved to 3-0 and have now won 17 straight non-conference matches dating back to 2014.
Against Northwestern State, the Rebels won the first set 25-19. In the second set, the Lady Demons seem to have momentum on their side with a 22-19 lead late, but senior Nakeyta Clair stepped up big with a huge kill to tie it at 22. After NSU regained the lead, another kill by Clair and an attack error by the Lady Demons gave the Rebels set point. On set point Lexi Thompson hit a good serve and moments later, Clair slammed it down the middle to give the Rebels the set (25-23) and a 2-0 lead at the break.
With momentum and the crowd of 432 on their side, the Rebels finished off Northwestern State 25-16 in set three for the title.
In the early match against TSU, the Rebels dropped the first set, but rallied to dominate the second 25-9. The Rebels found themselves trailing 20-15 in the third set, but went on a 10-2 run to take it 25-22. They carried that momentum into the fourth, winning it 25-15 for the 3-1 final.
Quick Hits
• Head coach Steven McRoberts notched win No. 499 with the victory against Northwestern State. He will go for his 500th career win Tuesday against McNeese State.
• Ole Miss improved to 4-1 all-time against Northwestern State and 1-1 vs. Tennessee State
• Junior Aubrey Edie and freshman Kathryn Cather were named to the All-Tournament Team, while senior Nakeyta Clair was named the Most Valuable Player.
• Nakeyta Clair picked up where she left off last year, as she finished the weekend with 38 kills and hit .567. She averaged 3.80 kills per set and also tallied eight blocks.
• In her debut, freshman Kathryn Cather tallied 26 kills on a .413 clip and added nine service aces.
• Junior Aubrey Edie passed out 125 assists (12.5 per set) to allow the Rebels to hit .328 for the weekend.
• Sophomore outside hitter Lexi Thompson finished the tournament with 26 kills, eight service aces and 29 digs.
The Rebels continue their homestand Tuesday, hosting McNeese State at 11 a.m., followed by UT-Martin later that day at 7 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.
