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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, November 24
Knoxville, Tenn.
12 p.m. CT
Ole Miss
14-18 (4-14SEC)
1
at
3
No. 22 Tennessee
25-5 (16-2SEC)
1
2
3
4
F
Ole Miss
13
13
25
23
1
Tennessee
25
25
21
25
3
Volleyball Drops 2018 Finale 3-1 at No. 22 Tennessee
11/24/2018 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Ole Miss volleyball wrapped its 2018 campaign Saturday, falling 3-1 to No. 22 Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Rebels finish the season 14-18 overall and 4-14 in SEC play, while the Volunteers move to 25-5 and 16-2.
Junior Emily Stroup led the way with 11 kills, while classmate Nicole Purcell tallied a team-high 15 digs.
"Although we didn't finish with the result we wanted, I am grateful for how hard our team worked this year," head coach Steven McRoberts said. " They brought a great attitude every day. We all learned a lot about ourselves this year and I know that we will improve moving forward because of it. I want to wish our seniors (Delaney [Gallagher], Carol [Caroline Adams], Barb [Audrey Fischer] and Caitlin [Wernentin]) the best as they move on with their lives. They did a lot for the culture of our program and I will forever be thankful for them."
The Volunteers ignited out of the gate, taking the first nine of 11 points in the opening stanza. Tennessee continued to widen the gap, building a double-digit lead for the duration of the set and taking the match lead with a 25-13 frame.
The Rebels continued to be inhibited with stalled and sluggish play, falling by another 10-point deficit in the second set. Ole Miss put together a 3-0 run to narrow the gap to 20-13, but Tennessee picked up the final five points to win again 25-13.
Things picked up for the Rebels in the third frame, as Ole Miss used three straight points to take a 7-5 lead. The squad continued to rally, led by sophomore setter Lauren Bars who turned in a kill, block, and assist in part of a three-point sequence to hand the Rebels their biggest lead at 12-8. Bars sustained leadership, putting up another rejection to maintain the Rebels advantage.
The Volunteers crept back into the contest, evening the score at 18 before a kill from Stroup and freshman middle Aubrey Sultemeier gave Ole Miss some insurance at 20-18. Tennessee continued to pressure, but big-time slams from fellow middle Nayo Warnell and Bars set up set point for Ole Miss, who sealed the 25-21 set with an ace from Stroup.
The fourth set began as a back-and-forth affair until the Volunteers found cushion on a 4-0 run at 10-6. The Rebels quickly responded, capitalizing on a Tennessee service error to spur a five-point rally and take the lead at 12-11. Ole Miss maintained momentum, going on an 8-1 run to lead 15-13 heading into the media timeout.
The Volunteers used a pair of kills and an ace to take the lead, where the two teams went on to reach four tied scores from the 16-16 mark. A pair of points returned control to Tennessee, but Ole Miss responded with perfectly placed kills from Stroup and Warnell to even the contest once again, this time at 23.
The Volunteers found a way to spoil the comeback, taking advantage of a Rebel service error and a kill to cap off the contest, taking the match 3-1 after a 25-23 final frame.
Saturday marked the final contest of their careers for seniors Caroline Adams, Caitlin Wernentin, Delaney Gallagher, and Audrey Fischer. All four veterans contributed both on and off the court during their time at Ole Miss.
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.
The Rebels finish the season 14-18 overall and 4-14 in SEC play, while the Volunteers move to 25-5 and 16-2.
Junior Emily Stroup led the way with 11 kills, while classmate Nicole Purcell tallied a team-high 15 digs.
"Although we didn't finish with the result we wanted, I am grateful for how hard our team worked this year," head coach Steven McRoberts said. " They brought a great attitude every day. We all learned a lot about ourselves this year and I know that we will improve moving forward because of it. I want to wish our seniors (Delaney [Gallagher], Carol [Caroline Adams], Barb [Audrey Fischer] and Caitlin [Wernentin]) the best as they move on with their lives. They did a lot for the culture of our program and I will forever be thankful for them."
The Volunteers ignited out of the gate, taking the first nine of 11 points in the opening stanza. Tennessee continued to widen the gap, building a double-digit lead for the duration of the set and taking the match lead with a 25-13 frame.
The Rebels continued to be inhibited with stalled and sluggish play, falling by another 10-point deficit in the second set. Ole Miss put together a 3-0 run to narrow the gap to 20-13, but Tennessee picked up the final five points to win again 25-13.
Things picked up for the Rebels in the third frame, as Ole Miss used three straight points to take a 7-5 lead. The squad continued to rally, led by sophomore setter Lauren Bars who turned in a kill, block, and assist in part of a three-point sequence to hand the Rebels their biggest lead at 12-8. Bars sustained leadership, putting up another rejection to maintain the Rebels advantage.
The Volunteers crept back into the contest, evening the score at 18 before a kill from Stroup and freshman middle Aubrey Sultemeier gave Ole Miss some insurance at 20-18. Tennessee continued to pressure, but big-time slams from fellow middle Nayo Warnell and Bars set up set point for Ole Miss, who sealed the 25-21 set with an ace from Stroup.
The fourth set began as a back-and-forth affair until the Volunteers found cushion on a 4-0 run at 10-6. The Rebels quickly responded, capitalizing on a Tennessee service error to spur a five-point rally and take the lead at 12-11. Ole Miss maintained momentum, going on an 8-1 run to lead 15-13 heading into the media timeout.
The Volunteers used a pair of kills and an ace to take the lead, where the two teams went on to reach four tied scores from the 16-16 mark. A pair of points returned control to Tennessee, but Ole Miss responded with perfectly placed kills from Stroup and Warnell to even the contest once again, this time at 23.
The Volunteers found a way to spoil the comeback, taking advantage of a Rebel service error and a kill to cap off the contest, taking the match 3-1 after a 25-23 final frame.
Saturday marked the final contest of their careers for seniors Caroline Adams, Caitlin Wernentin, Delaney Gallagher, and Audrey Fischer. All four veterans contributed both on and off the court during their time at Ole Miss.
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.
Team Stats
OM
UT
Kills
36
57
Errors
24
26
Attempts
139
146
Hitting %
.086
.212
Points
47.0
78.0
Assists
32
50
Aces
4
6
Blocks
7.0
15.0
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
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