.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Falls to No. 6 Florida 3-1
9/23/2016 | Volleyball
Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery
OXFORD, Miss. - A great crowd was on hand Friday night at The Pavilion at Ole Miss for the volleyball team's Southeastern Conference opener against No. 6 Florida. The Rebels gave them something to cheer about winning a competitive first set, before falling to the Gators 3-1 (26-24, 12-25, 15-25, 16-25).
Ole Miss falls to 11-3 overall and 0-1 in the SEC, while Florida improved to 11-1 and 1-0 league play.
The Rebels came out in the first set and went toe-to-toe with the Gators. They gained a 12-9 lead and maintained at least a two-point lead most of the way until the Gators tied it up at 20-20. The two teams traded points and Florida gained a set point at 24-23, but the Rebels won the final three points on a kill by junior outside hitter Lexi Thompson and sophomore right side hitter Kathryn Cather.
Ole Miss lost energy in the second, third and fourth sets, this resulted in the Rebels unable to close the block on either pin which allowed Florida to score deep cross court gaining momentum. After getting major production in the middle during non-conference play, the Rebels had trouble incorporating their middles against Florida, totaling just 22 attempts and three kills.
The pin hitters were senior Aubrey Edie's go-to hitters tonight as Lexi Thompson, Kate Gibson and Kathryn Cather totaled 39 kills. Cather matched her career-high kills with 16, hitting .419. She was a terminator for the Rebels using her arm strength to deflect the Gators blockers.
Quick hits
- Sophomore right side Kathryn Cather tied her career-high with 16 kills on a .419 attack percentage.
- Junior outside hitter Kate Gibson tallied her seventh double-double of the season with 13 kills and 10 digs.
- Junior outside hitter Lexi Thompson missed her 11th double-double by one dig, finishing the night with 10 kills and 9 digs.
- The Rebels hit just .132, falling to 3-4 when hitting below .200. Florida had 73 digs and 14 team blocks.
Up next
The Rebels will travel to Columbia, Missouri to face Missouri Sunday at 12 p.m. in nationally-televised match on ESPNU.
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.
