Rebels Set to Serve up 2016 Campaign

Aug. 25, 2016

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OXFORD, Miss. - After two weeks of preseason practice, the Ole Miss volleyball team will finally open the 2016 season Friday at the North Dakota Classic in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The Rebels will face UC Davis at 4 p.m., in their first match at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Saturday, Ole Miss will square off against North Dakota at 12 p.m. followed by Omaha at 4:30 p.m.

Quick Hits

Head coach Steven McRoberts boasts a 518-184 record (.738) in 19 seasons as a head coach.
The Rebels return nine letterwinners, including four starters and welcome six newcomers for the 2016 season.
Ole Miss boasts just one senior, setter Aubrey Edie (Fayetteville, Ark.), and three juniors, Kate Gibson, Lexi Thompson and Taylor Alexander. The rest of the team consists of six sophomores and six freshmen.
The Rebels will appear on TV at least six times this season, four on the SEC Network and twice on ESPNU.
In addition to returning setter Aubrey Edie, Ole Miss welcomes back both outside hitters Kate Gibson and Lexi Thompson and right side Kathryn Cather.
The "quarterback" of the offense, Aubrey Edie is set for a record-setting senior year. She already holds the single-season and single-match records and with 275 assists, will break the career record.
Ole Miss will play all its home matches this season at The Pavilion at Ole Miss, while the Gillom Sports Center is undergoing a renovation. The Rebels will move back to Gillom for the 2017 season.

Watch North Dakota match
Ole Miss fans can watch the North Dakota match online at WatchBigSky.com. It will also be televised on Midco Sports Network or Fox College Sports Atlantic.

#FIN1SH
On a board in Tad Smith Coliseum, where the Ole Miss volleyball team has been practicing in preparation for the 2016 season, are the words "FIN1SH - Future is Now! One Team, One Goal." After coming close to making the NCAA Tournament the first two years under head coach Steven McRoberts, the Rebels are hoping to not only put themselves in position for a berth late in the season, but to FIN1SH.

Going home
For freshman Emily Stroup, the trip to North Dakota marks a homecoming of sorts. She hails from Fargo, which is south of Grand Forks, and played high school volleyball for Fargo South.

Coach McRoberts on preseason and North Dakota tournament
"We have had really good competition in preseason camp and that is what we have needed in our gym. They've been competing every day and there has only been one day out of the 14 days or so that we have been on the court that we have walked away as coaches feeling like we just didn't bring it and we just didn't play very well.

"This will be the toughest preseason schedule we will have by far since I have been here. Our strength of schedule is ranked 40th out of 305 based on last year's RPI. We are going to have to fight for every single win in the preseason, which hasn't necessarily been the case the last two years. We are going to get better this weekend and we will get better as the season goes on. Hopefully that translates into wins. Every win will be a quality win and hopefully that translates into winning in the SEC. That will help us to potentially be playing in December, which is our biggest goal, the NCAA tournament."

Junior outside hitter Kate Gibson

On camp and the season outlook
"Preseason went really well. Coach McRoberts kept saying it repeatedly, it's the best he's had since coming to Ole Miss. There was never a time where coach had to tell us, `hey pick up the energy, be better.' Obviously it was more skill instruction, but it was never `you guys are not playing well because you are tired.' I think overall we had a great preseason, which is going to lead us into great preseason matches and then hopefully great SEC play."

On being a veteran on the team and helping the underclassmen
"During preseason we prepared them for being tired all the time. I think that eased them into it. With traveling it is just the basic stuff that we tell every freshman every year, just what to pack. Other than that, they are doing fine with it. We haven't really had to tell them much. They have clicked in pretty well."

Freshman defensive specialist Nicole Purcell

On the biggest adjustment from high school to college
"We haven't had that much school yet, but just balancing school and athletics. We, all of the freshmen, started off slow, but once we figured out our schedules and everything it all started coming together. We are slowly getting ready to go now."

On what she's most looking forward to this year
"I am looking forward to the season and playing someone else other than ourselves and gradually getting better every practice and every match."

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.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Alexander

Kathryn Cather

Aubrey Edie

Kate Gibson

Nicole Purcell

Emily Stroup

Lexi Thompson

The University of Mississippi Athletics