The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Volleyball to Face Rematch with LSU and Auburn
11/3/2016 | Volleyball
Complete Notes (PDF) | Live Stats (LSU) |
Watch LSU (SECN+) | Watch Auburn (SECN+)
OXFORD, Miss. - With the first half of Southeastern Conference play in the books, the Ole Miss volleyball team embarks on the final stretch of the season this weekend as they travel to LSU and Auburn. The Rebels will face off against both teams for the second time this season.
First up the Rebels will play LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Friday at 7 p.m., before traveling to Auburn Sunday for a 1:30 p.m. match. Both matches will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Quick Hits...
• Junior outside hitter Kate Gibson posted a match-high 20 kills at Florida, and added 8 digs.
• Junior outside hitter Lexi Thompson notched her SEC-leading 15th double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs. It marked the 18th match for Thompson to post double-digit kills.
• With her 13 kills, Lexi Thompson went over 300 kills for the season (312), for the second time in her career.
• Freshman Emily Stroup earned her third start of the year and finished with seven kills, four digs and two blocks.
• Senior setter Aubrey Edie passed out 39 assists and also added 4 kills on a .333 clip and 6 digs.
• Lexi Thompson is making her way up the Ole Miss charts. With 905 kills she ranks seventh all-time and needs just 23 to move to sixth. With her 11 digs against Florida, Thompson now has 825 in her career, which ranks eighth.
• With 333 kills this season, Kate Gibson needs just 34 to set the single season record. Lexi Thompson is hot on her heels with 312 kills.
• Aubrey Edie recorded her 4,000th career assist in the win over Tennessee State and now has a school-record 4,503. She ranks sixth in the SEC with 10.61 assists per set. Edie is fourth in the NCAA in active career assists.
• Kathryn Cather ranks eighth in the SEC with a .358 hitting percentage and fourth in SEC matches only at .457. She is also averaging 3.55 kills (eighth) and 3.95 points per set (10th) in SEC matches.
• Taylor Alexander ranks 10th in the SEC with a .348 attack percentage.
• Kate Gibson ranks ninth in the SEC overall with 3.62 kills per set and 10th in points per set at 3.95. Lexi Thompson ranks 10th in kills per set (3.39), 11th in points per set (3.83) and leads the SEC in double-doubles with 15. Gibson ranks third with 10 double-doubles.
Scouting LSU...
LSU heads into the weekend at 7-15 overall and 2-9 in the SEC. They are coming off a 3-1 loss at South Carolina and a 3-0 loss at No. 9 Florida. The Tigers are led by junior outside hitter Gina Tillis, who is averaging 3.23 kills per set, and senior middle blocker Tiara Gibson, who is hitting .296 with 2.36 kills and 0.78 blocks per set.
Rebels vs. LSU Tigers...
LSU leads the all-time series 52-16 including a 3-2 come from behind win earlier this year in Oxford. The last time the two teams met in Baton Rouge (2013), the Tigers won 3-1. The Rebels' last win in Baton Rouge came in 2011, 3-2.
Going Home...
For the first time since coming to Ole Miss, a couple of Rebels will be going back to their home state to play a match. Sophomore defensive specialist and the Rebels' starting libero in the last four matches, Caroline Adams, hails from Lafayette. Junior middle blocker Taylor Alexander comes from Breaux Bridge.
Looking at Auburn...
Auburn comes into the weekend at 13-11 overall, 7-4 in the SEC. They had their five-match win streak snapped last Sunday with a 3-0 loss at Tennessee. The Tigers are led by sophomore outside hitter Brenna McIlroy, who is averaging 3.07 kills per set. Defensively, the Tigers have a strong presence from junior libero Jesse Earl, who leads the SEC with 5.19 digs per set.
Rebels vs. Auburn Tigers...
Ole Miss leads the series 34-27, but the Tigers rallied to take a 3-2 win in Oxford last month and have won two straight, as they also defeated the Rebels 3-2 in Auburn last year.
Quoting Head Coach Steven McRoberts...
"We lost a heartbreaker to LSU at home three weeks ago. Hopefully we can get revenge on that one. Both of those we lost in five sets at home. If we play like we played last Friday against Florida I like our chances in both matches."
Follow the matches...
Both matches can be seen on SEC Network+ via the WatchESPN app or WatchESPN.com. Also follow @OleMissVB on Twitter for updates.
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.
