Battle for First Place Up Next for Volleyball Wednesday

			OLE MISS (14-4, 6-1) at (RV) GEORGIA (14-4, 6-1) Wednesday, October 23 • 8 p.m. • Athens, Ga. Stegeman Coliseum
Watch • Live Stats • Ole Miss Notes (PDF) • Georgia Notes (PDF)

RALLY POINTS

Despite Sunday's heartbreaker, Ole Miss remains atop the league standings in a four-way tie for first. Wednesday's match will be a clash of first-place squads, as Georgia also posts a 6-1 record. For the first time since 2007, Ole Miss appeared in the national polls, receiving votes in last week's AVCA national rankings.
Senior libero Nicole Purcell reached a career milestone over the weekend, registering her 1,000th career dig. Purcell posted 41 on the weekend, and leads the league in both digs (337) and digs per set (4.68).
Senior Emily Stroup continued to prove her importance on the court, logging back-to-back double-double performances. She turned in 13 kills and 12 digs Friday, and followed that with 14 kills and 13 digs Sunday. She now has nine on the season, a tie for most in the league, and 36 in her career.
Freshman Anna Bair has already developed quite the resume during her rookie season for the Rebs. Her 3.15 kills per set average is a program-best amongst freshman, and she needs just 97 more kills to tally the most ever by a freshman at Ole Miss. She currently boasts 227 overall and 89 in conference play,
The Rebels will look to continue their road winning streak, having recorded an unblemished ledger this season. Their seven road wins ranks second all-time (2010, 10).
With three road wins already this season in league play, Ole Miss continues to enter relatively unchartered waters. The squad has not won three consecutive games in league play on the road since 2007, when they defeated Auburn, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

ON THE HORIZON
Senior Emily Stroup needs just 28 kills to become the program's all-time leader. She currently has 1,386, holding the top two single-season records and top three single-match marks for the category.

Freshman Anna Bair needs just 97 kills to become the program's all-time freshman leader. She currently has 227.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
1^st: Despite Sunday's loss, Ole Miss remains atop the league standings, in a four-way tie with (RV) Georgia, No. 13 Florida, and No. 16 Kentucky.
14: Ole Miss' win streak was snapped Sunday at 14, but ties for the longest in program history. It was the fourth longest in the NCAA this season.
15: Number of blocks tallied Sunday against Texas A&M, the second-most for the Rebels this season.
1,172: Friday's crowd was the biggest of the season for the Rebs. There were also over 1,100 people in attendance Sunday.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Georgia enters the week as another league leader, posting the same exact ledgers at 14-4 and 6-1 as Ole Miss. The Bulldogs started receiving votes the same week as the Rebs, after upsetting then-No. 12 Kentucky for their first conference loss in 29 straight league matches. Junior Rachel Ritchie tops the squad with 214 kills, followed closely by freshman Kacie Evans, a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week, with 193. The offense is ran by senior Meghan Donovan, who averages 11.41 assists per set, good for second in the league.

All-Time: Georgia leads 42-20, but Ole Miss has won six of the last 10 meetings
Last Meeting: October 28, 2018 in Oxford (UGA 3, OM 0)
Last Win: December 3, 2017 in Oxford (OM 3, UGA 0)*
*The Rebels and Bulldogs faced three times in 2017, in a home-and-home during league play and then again during the postseason during the NIVC.

TO FOLLOW
Wednesday's contest will air live on ESPNU. Fans can also follow along via live stats and the @OleMissVB Twitter account for in-match updates.

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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.

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Players Mentioned

Anna Bair

Nicole Purcell

Emily Stroup

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