The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, September 21
Gainesville, Fla.
6 p.m. CT
Ole Miss
10-5, 0-1SEC
0
at
3
Florida
10-3, 1-0SEC
1
2
3
F
Ole Miss
17
12
15
0
UF
25
25
25
3
Rebels Drop SEC Opener at No. 11 Florida
9/21/2018 | Volleyball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ole Miss volleyball dropped its Southeastern Conference opener Friday, falling in straight sets (17-25, 12-25, 15-25) to No. 11 Florida at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Sophomore Leah Mulkey led the offense, registering seven kills, while classmate Lauren Bars made her return, dishing out 17 assists. Rookies Lauren Thompson and Avery Bugg each made their collegiate SEC debuts.
"It's never easy to open at Florida," head coach Steven McRoberts said. "I thought they did a good job of serving us tough and we could never get in a rhythm. We will get back to work Monday and I know we will improve as the SEC season progresses."
Both teams started the contest slow, and the Rebels threatened, pressuring the Gators at 5-4. After a couple back-to-back sequences, Florida took advantage of a 4-0 run to build a six-point lead. Ole Miss threatened a comeback, taking three straight points after a kill by sophomore Lauren Bars and back-to-back Gator attack errors to narrow the gap to 23-17, but ultimately dropped the game 25-17.
The Rebels were sluggish in the second, allowing Florida to capitalize on an 8-0 run and lead by as many as 10 points before falling 25-12.
Ole Miss rebounded in the third frame, remaining within three points of the Gators after a challenge from Coach McRoberts was overturned in the Rebels' favor and the squad came to within three at 9-6. Florida then used two four-point rallies to gain speed, moving on to pick up the set 25-12 and the match, 3-0.
The loss was just the Rebels' second sweep suffered on the season.
UP NEXT
Ole Miss returns to Oxford for its league-opener, welcoming (RV) Georgia to Gillom Athletics Performance Center Friday. The first 200 fans in attendance will receive a volleyball mason jar tumbler giveaway.
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.
Sophomore Leah Mulkey led the offense, registering seven kills, while classmate Lauren Bars made her return, dishing out 17 assists. Rookies Lauren Thompson and Avery Bugg each made their collegiate SEC debuts.
"It's never easy to open at Florida," head coach Steven McRoberts said. "I thought they did a good job of serving us tough and we could never get in a rhythm. We will get back to work Monday and I know we will improve as the SEC season progresses."
Both teams started the contest slow, and the Rebels threatened, pressuring the Gators at 5-4. After a couple back-to-back sequences, Florida took advantage of a 4-0 run to build a six-point lead. Ole Miss threatened a comeback, taking three straight points after a kill by sophomore Lauren Bars and back-to-back Gator attack errors to narrow the gap to 23-17, but ultimately dropped the game 25-17.
The Rebels were sluggish in the second, allowing Florida to capitalize on an 8-0 run and lead by as many as 10 points before falling 25-12.
Ole Miss rebounded in the third frame, remaining within three points of the Gators after a challenge from Coach McRoberts was overturned in the Rebels' favor and the squad came to within three at 9-6. Florida then used two four-point rallies to gain speed, moving on to pick up the set 25-12 and the match, 3-0.
The loss was just the Rebels' second sweep suffered on the season.
UP NEXT
Ole Miss returns to Oxford for its league-opener, welcoming (RV) Georgia to Gillom Athletics Performance Center Friday. The first 200 fans in attendance will receive a volleyball mason jar tumbler giveaway.
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
UF
Kills
26
38
Errors
18
9
Attempts
85
80
Hitting %
.094
.363
Points
31.0
58.0
Assists
25
36
Aces
3
13
Blocks
2.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballHIGHLIGHTS: Volleyball vs. Texas AM (10/26/25)
Sunday, October 26
HIGHLIGHTS: Volleyball vs. Texas (10/24/25)
Friday, October 24
HIGHLIGHTS: VB at Vanderbilt
Sunday, October 19
HIGHLIGHTS: VB at Missouri
Friday, October 17