The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Little Rock
Rebels Roll Into Conway for UCA Classic
9/12/2019 | Volleyball
Ole Miss brings three-match win streak and two player of the week plaudits into weekend
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CENTRAL ARKANSAS CLASSIC OLE MISS VS. LITTLE ROCK, at UCA, VS. ORAL ROBERTS Conway, Ark. Farris Center |
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| Coach McRoberts Weekend Preview • Nayo Warnell (SR, MB) Preview • Aubrey Sultemeier (SO, MB) Preview 2019 Media Guide • Ole Miss Notes |
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| Friday, Sept. 13 vs. Little Rock 10:30 AM |
Friday, Sept. 13 at UCA 6:30 PM |
Saturday vs. Oral Roberts 2:30 PM |
| Watch (Facebook LIve) • Live Stats • | Watch (UCAsports • Live Stats • | Watch (Facebook Live) • Live Stats |
RALLY POINTS
- Ole Miss claimed the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Volleyball Classic crown, picking up sweeps against Houston Baptist and Missouri State before grinding out a five-set thriller against 2018 NIVC Runner-Ups Tulane.
- Head Coach Steven McRoberts reached a career milestone this past weekend, tallying his 100th victory at Ole Miss. He boasts a 100-70 ledger in his six seasons at the helm.
- This weekend will be a reunion of sorts for McRoberts, as he returns to Conway, Ark., and Central Arkansas, where he coached from 2005-2010 and helped the Sugar Bears transition into Division I competition. McRoberts boasted a 146-58 ledger while with UCA.
- The outside hitting duo of senior Emily Stroup and freshman Anna Bair were each awarded with All-Tournament honors, as Stroup took home the MVP title with 42 kills on the weekend. Bair hit an impressive .420 clip combined through her first two matches, finishing tournament with 35 kills, seven blocks, and three aces.
- Sophomore Aubrey Sultemeier delivered a stellar weekend at the net for the Rebels. Her 17 total blocks rank third all-time in program history for a single weekend and 2nd for a three-match time span in the rally scoring era. She posted eight total rejections on Sunday, tying a career-high. Additionally, Sultemeier hit at a .345 efficiency, registering just four attack errors on the weekend. Saturday against Missouri State, a team that has made 21 consecutive NCAA appearances, Sultemeier hit at .800 and did not commit a single error. Ahead of Sultemeier all-time are All-Americans and former Rebel standouts Nakeyta Clair '15 and Regina Thomas '11.
- Senior Nayo Warnell enters the weekend seeking just three blocks to total 300 in her career. The milestone has only been achieved three times in Rebel rally scoring history. Warnell is about to join elite company with Clair, Thomas, and the late Ty Laporte.
- For the second consecutive week, the Rebels top the SEC in digs at 365 and 15.87 per set. Senior libero Nicole Purcell tops the league with 114 total, and ranks second in digs per set at 4.96. Ole Miss led the league in digs in both the 2017 and 2007 campaigns.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK AND A PROGRAM FIRST
After their performances in the Big Easy, Bair and Sultemeier were each awarded with SEC weekly honors, the first of their careers. Bair was named Freshman of the Week, while Sultemeier was dubbed Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
Bair was the first rookie to take home the award for Ole Miss since Lexi Thompson in 2014, while Sultemeier joins current Rebel Nayo Warnell on the defensive plaudits list, who took home the honor in 2017.
No two Rebels had ever won a league award in the same week, marking a first for the program.
SCOUTING LITTLE ROCK
The Trojans enter the weekend seeking their first win of the year, having yet to earn a set victory. The squad has tallied 157 kills on the season, led by junior Nedima Kamberovic's 36. The outside hitter is coming off a career-best performance with 15 kills against Oral Roberts last weekend in Tulsa.
Little Rock was chosen to finish third in the Sun Belt, and middle Carol Barbosa was honored as a Preseason All-Conference selection. She's posted 20 kills on the season, averaging 2.2 per set, and five total blocks.
All-Time: Ole Miss leads 6-3
Last Meeting: August 2018 in Oxford at the Rebel Invitational (OM 3, LR 1)
SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS
The Golden Eagles arrive in Conway on a 4-5 clip, grinding out a five-setter over Missouri State in their home opener. ORU boasts the most kills of any squad entering the weekend, carrying 350. The offensive charge is led by outside CeCe Madison, who has already recorded 103 across 29 sets.
In comparison, Ole Miss swept Missouri State last weekend in New Orleans, limiting the Bears to a 0.41 hitting percentage and just two kills in their final set.
Oral Roberts was chosen fourth in the Summit League Preseason Poll.
All-Time: Series tied at 1-1
Last Meeting: 2015 in Oxford (OM 3, ORU 0)
SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS
The Sugar Bears also boast nearly 350 kills, welcoming the weekend with a 4-3 record after picking up four straight wins to begin the 2019 campaign. UCA carries a trio of outsides with 65 kills or more in Lexi Miller (67), Abbie Harry (73), and Madi Bowles (79), and two setters with over 100 assists each. The Sugar Bears have compiled nearly 400 digs with 394.
All-Time: Ole Miss leads 1-0
Last Meeting: 2011 (OM 3, UCA 0)
TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available for all three contests via the links provided. Fans can view the neutral site matchups against Little Rock and Oral Roberts via Facebook Live (visit the Ole Miss Volleyball page). In-game updates will also be provided via the @OleMissVB Twitter account.
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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.
