The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
14-3, 0-2
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Mississippi State
11-4, 1-1
State Snaps Rebels Series Win Streak
9/27/2015 | Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss came into Sunday's Southeastern Conference volleyball home opener with a six-match win streak in the series against in-state rival Mississippi State and a great crowd of nearly 1,000 on hand at the Gillom Sports Center. But the Bulldogs quieted the crowd for much of the match as they defeated the Rebels 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-18) in a nationally-televised match on the SEC Network.
The Bulldogs (11-4, 1-1) hit .344 in the opening frame and finished at .265 for the match, while the Rebels (14-3, 0-2) hit below .200 (.123) for the second consecutive match and only the second time all season.
After dropping the first set 25-17 and falling behind 23-17 late in the second, the Rebels still had a chance to win it and even the match. The Rebels used a 5-0 run to pull within one (22-23), but State held on to win it 25-23 for a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Ole Miss stayed with State in the beginning of the third set, with it tied 12-12 midway through. But the Bulldogs went on a 13-6 run from there to close out the set 25-18 and the match.
Quoting Coach McRoberts
"We didn't come out with the same urgency or intensity that we did in the first two sets at Florida," head coach Steven McRoberts said. "Mississippi State is having a good year and Coach (Dave) McFatrich is doing a good job with them. Hats off to State. They came in here and played aggressive and took it to us, and we didn't respond."
Quick Hits
• Senior Nakeyta Clair led the team, finishing with seven kills on a .455 clip and adding five blocks. She has now hit above .400 in 13 of the first 17 matches. With her two solo blocks, Clair now has 79 for her career. She needs just two to break the school record held by Regina Thomas (80, 2008-11).
• Junior Aubrey Edie finished the day with 27 assists, 5 digs and 2 blocks.
• The Rebels hit below .200 (.112) for just the second time all year.
• The match marked a reunion for both head coaches who coached together at Central Arkansas, when Ole Miss head coach Steven McRoberts was the head coach and MSU's head coach Dave McFatrich was an assistant.
Ole Miss will be back in action Friday looking for their first SEC win, as they host South Carolina at 6:30 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.
