The University of Mississippi Athletics

Friday, October 26
Auburn, Ala.
7 p.m. CT

Ole Miss

12-12, 2-8

2
at
3

Auburn

9-11, 2-8

1
2
3
4
5
F
Ole Miss
21
25
21
27
12
2
Auburn
25
23
25
25
15
3
Emily Stroup, 2018 at Auburn

Rebels Drop Heartbreaker in Auburn, Fall in Five

10/26/2018 | Volleyball

AUBURN, Ala. --   Ole Miss Volleyball dropped a heartbreaker Friday in Auburn Arena, suffering a season sweep to the Tigers after dropping a heartbreaker 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 27-25, 12-15). Friday marks the fourth time the Rebels have lost to Auburn in five sets in the last six contests. 
 
Ole Miss drops to .500 on the season at 12-12, slipping to 2-8 in league play. Auburn moves to 9-11 and also sits at 2-8 in the Southeastern Conference. 
 
Senior Caitlin Wernentin registered her first collegiate double-double, tallying 12 kills and a career-best 12 digs. Junior Emily Stroup paced the Rebels' offense with 18 kills, while the duo of junior Nayo Warnell and sophomore Lauren Bars each posted five blocks. 
 
The Tigers used a pair of 3-0 rallies to build an early lead the Rebels were unable to overcome in the opening stanza, falling 25-21. At the 15-10 mark, Ole Miss looked poised for a comeback, capitalizing on an Auburn service error and using a pair of Scott kills to shorten the deficit. A kill each from Warnell and Stroup at the 21-24 marked looked promising before the Tigers sealed the set with a block.
 
After going through five ties at the 8-8 mark of the second frame, the Rebels ignited, going on a 5-0 run (courtesy of four Auburn attack errors and blocks from Stroup, Bars, and Warnell) to take a 13-8 advantage. Warnell led the offense during the beginning of the set, tallying three straight kills at one point. 
 
After increasing their lead by as many as six points, the Tigers clawed their way back, narrowing the gap at 20-19. A pair of kills from Wernentin and an Auburn error gave the Rebels cushion once more at 23-20, but the Tigers continued to threaten before a decisive kill from Stroup evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 victory. 
 
A game of cat-and-mouse ensued in the third frame, as the two squads endured 12 ties before Auburn pulled ahead slightly at 15-14. The back and forth continued, as the teams went through five more ties before Auburn began to pull ahead and steal the set 25-21 and take the match lead 2-1.
 
The Rebels got out to a sluggish fourth set, falling behind by four at 10-6 before calling for a huddle. They quickly closed in on the Tigers with a 3-0 run, including back-to-back slams from Stroup. Things continued to go well for Ole Miss, who took the lead late at 23-22 thanks to the duo of Mulkey and freshman Aubrey Sultemeier, who combined for four kills and three blocks in the final 10 points of the frame as the Rebels endured three set points before evening the contest at two with a 27-25 triumph.  
 
The finale was really a tale of two, as Ole Miss started the frame trailing by as many as eight. The Rebels secured six consecutive points, including back-to-back solo blocks from Bars, coming within two points at 14-12 before ultimately succumbing 15-12. 
 
 
UP NEXT
Ole Miss heads continues with its road trip through the state, heading to Tuscaloosa for a 5 p.m. Sunday showdown with Alabama. The contest will be aired on ESPN U. 
 
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB, Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball@olemissvb on Instagram. You can also follow head coach Steven McRoberts on Twitter @CoachMcRoberts
 
 

Next Event

Alabama
W, 3-1

Oct 28 (Sun)

5 p.m. CT

Team Stats

OM
AU
Kills
59
77
Errors
25
30
Attempts
150
176
Hitting %
.227
.267
Points
74.0
96.0
Assists
52
72
Aces
1
5
Blocks
14.0
14.0

Game Leaders

Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4

Players Mentioned

S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
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