The University of Mississippi Athletics

Bair Impresses on Day Two of Rebel Invitational, Rebels Fall 1-3
8/31/2019 | Volleyball
Despite falling 1-3, the Rebels turned in a strong final two sets
OXFORD, Miss. – Freshman Anna Bair continued to impress in her opening weekend in an Ole Miss uniform, as the volleyball team battled through a tough 3-1 loss to Iowa State (14-25, 18-25, 25-22, 21-25) on Day 2 of the Rebel Invitational at Gillom Athletics Performance Center.
A trio of double-digit kills paced the Rebel offense, as Bair tallied the first of her young career, registering 11 on a .321 hitting percentage. Senior Nayo Warnell also delivered 11 kills on a team-best .529 efficiency, and classmate Emily Stroup added 12 en route to her first double-double of the season, adding 12 digs.
Senior libero Nicole Purcell recorded 21 digs to lead the Rebel passing game.
After Ole Miss started the contest with the opening point, Iowa State took four straight to build early cushion. The Cyclones continued to use rallies and a strong net game (four blocks) to widen the lead and prevent the Rebels from shifting momentum, picking up the opening stanza 25-14.
Senior middle Nayo Warnell put the Rebs on the board on the second, with a quick pair of kills in the opening 10 points. Freshman Anna Bair followed that up with back-to-back kills of her own, trimming the Cyclones lead to three at 7-4.
Ole Miss continued to pressure in the second set, capitalizing on a pair of ISU errors and another kill by Bair to being a 7-2 run late, trimming the deficit to one, but were unable to thwart Iowa State, who picked up a 2-0 match lead at 25-18.
The Rebels carried the newfound attitude into the third frame, where they scrapped through 13 ties and remained within two of the Cyclones throughout the frame. The squad went through five lead changes, the most crucial coming as Ole Miss swung the momentum late, leading 20-17 after a series of ISU miscues.
Another late-set surge from Bair pushed the Rebels to set point, where the rookie added three slams and a rejection from junior Lauren Bars and sophomore Aubrey Sultemeier before Stroup sealed the set at 25-22, handing Ole Miss their first game of the young 2019 campaign.
The cat-and-mouse continued into the fourth set, where the squads endured 12 ties through the first 15 points, with the Rebels holding the slight advantage up 15-14, again aided by strong play from Bair, who turned in yet another pair of back-to-back kills at the 13-12 and 14-12 clips.
After reaching yet another stalemate at 16-16, Stroup supplied a set of straight kills, giving the Rebs cushion at 18-16. The two squads reached their 16thtie of the set at 21-21, before the Cyclones poured on four straight to steal the game 25-21 and the match 3-1.
Ole Miss concludes the Rebel Invitational Sunday, facing 2018 NCAA Tournament team (RV) UCF, who is 1-1 on the weekend after downing Iowa State in five before suffering a sweep to Rice Saturday.
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.
A trio of double-digit kills paced the Rebel offense, as Bair tallied the first of her young career, registering 11 on a .321 hitting percentage. Senior Nayo Warnell also delivered 11 kills on a team-best .529 efficiency, and classmate Emily Stroup added 12 en route to her first double-double of the season, adding 12 digs.
Senior libero Nicole Purcell recorded 21 digs to lead the Rebel passing game.
After Ole Miss started the contest with the opening point, Iowa State took four straight to build early cushion. The Cyclones continued to use rallies and a strong net game (four blocks) to widen the lead and prevent the Rebels from shifting momentum, picking up the opening stanza 25-14.
Senior middle Nayo Warnell put the Rebs on the board on the second, with a quick pair of kills in the opening 10 points. Freshman Anna Bair followed that up with back-to-back kills of her own, trimming the Cyclones lead to three at 7-4.
Ole Miss continued to pressure in the second set, capitalizing on a pair of ISU errors and another kill by Bair to being a 7-2 run late, trimming the deficit to one, but were unable to thwart Iowa State, who picked up a 2-0 match lead at 25-18.
The Rebels carried the newfound attitude into the third frame, where they scrapped through 13 ties and remained within two of the Cyclones throughout the frame. The squad went through five lead changes, the most crucial coming as Ole Miss swung the momentum late, leading 20-17 after a series of ISU miscues.
Another late-set surge from Bair pushed the Rebels to set point, where the rookie added three slams and a rejection from junior Lauren Bars and sophomore Aubrey Sultemeier before Stroup sealed the set at 25-22, handing Ole Miss their first game of the young 2019 campaign.
The cat-and-mouse continued into the fourth set, where the squads endured 12 ties through the first 15 points, with the Rebels holding the slight advantage up 15-14, again aided by strong play from Bair, who turned in yet another pair of back-to-back kills at the 13-12 and 14-12 clips.
After reaching yet another stalemate at 16-16, Stroup supplied a set of straight kills, giving the Rebs cushion at 18-16. The two squads reached their 16thtie of the set at 21-21, before the Cyclones poured on four straight to steal the game 25-21 and the match 3-1.
Ole Miss concludes the Rebel Invitational Sunday, facing 2018 NCAA Tournament team (RV) UCF, who is 1-1 on the weekend after downing Iowa State in five before suffering a sweep to Rice Saturday.
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
ISU
OM
Kills
47
44
Errors
16
28
Attempts
137
142
Hitting %
.226
.113
Points
67.0
52.0
Assists
46
44
Aces
6
5
Blocks
14.0
3.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Players Mentioned
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