The University of Mississippi Athletics

Friday, September 27
Oxford, Miss.
6 PM

Ole Miss

9-3

3
vs
2

Tennessee

6-5

1
2
3
4
5
F
Tennessee
25
24
25
24
13
2
Ole Miss
20
26
19
26
15
3
Volleyball Final Score vs. Tennessee

Rebels Upset (RV) Tennessee in Friday Five-Set Thriller

9/27/2019 | Volleyball

Ole Miss picks up its ninth-straight victory in first league win of the year

OXFORD, Miss. --  With an electric crowd in the stands, Ole Miss Volleyball (9-3, 1-0 SEC) turned in its ninth straight win Friday, upsetting (RV) Tennessee (6-5, 0-1 SEC) in a thrilling five setter at Gillom Athletics Performance Center by scores of 20-25, 26-24, 19-25, 26-24, 15-13. 
 
It was the second contest this season the Rebels had two players record at least 20 kills each, as senior Emily Stroup posted a match-high 22 kills and freshman Anna Bair added 20. Stroup also tallied 12 digs, recording her fifth double-double of the year (32ndof her career) and added three aces. 
 
Junior Lauren Bars reached a program milestone, finishing the contest with 39 assists and becoming just the fourth Rebel in program rally scoring history to reach 2,000 in her career. She also added 13 digs for her seventh double-double of the season, and turned in seven kills on a .636 hitting percentage. 
 
Senior libero Nicole Purcell recorded a new career-high, tallying 27 digs. She nearly pulled off her first collegiate double-double, as she dished out eight assists. Sophomore Aubrey Sultemeier turned in a team-high seven blocks. 
 
After a quick tip over the net from senior Leah Mulkey brought the Rebels the first point of the match, the first set was a game of mini rallies. Tennessee used three different three-point sequences to take a 16-11 lead. Ole Miss responded with three straight points of their own, courtesy of a Volunteer attack error, kill by Bair, and a rejection from senior Nayo Warnell and Stroup to trim the deficit to two at 16-14. 
 
Tennessee added cushion on a pair of kills to widen the gap, and late-set kills from Sultemeier and Bair were not enough to spark a comeback, as the Rebs dropped the opening stanza 25-20. 
 
Ole Miss controlled the early stages of the second frame, picking up the first two points on back-to-back kills from Warnell.  After an 8-8 stalemate, the Rebs poured on the momentum, securing six straight points on back-to-backs from Bair, a block from Bair and Warnell, and three Volunteer miscues. 
 
Up 14-8, Tennessee began to quietly close in, first using a kill from team leader Tessa Grubbs and then capitalizing on a Rebel attack error. The Volunteers then a 4-0 run to narrow the Rebs' lead to two, but Ole Miss added cushion on two Tennessee errors and a Bars service ace. 
 
UT then tied and took control of the set on their own six-point rally, until a kill from Stroup tied things once more at 20. 
 
Ole Miss collected the next three consecutive points on a block from the duo of Bair and Sultemeier and back-to-back service aces from Stroup to regain control at 23-20, and a kill from Bair brought the Rebs to set point at 24-21. 
 
Tennessee grinded back to another tie, tallying the next three points and forcing extra points at a 24-24 tie. Bair delivered a kill for the new set point of the frame, and Ole Miss evened the match on a 26-24 second game. Bair was cruising, tallying 10 kills through the first two sets. 
 
The Volunteers collected eight of the first 10 points, including a 6-0 run, to build a steady cushion in Set 3. Ole Miss chipped away, coming within five at 20-15 and again at 24-19, but was unable to overcome the early advantage built by the Vols and fell 25-19.
 
A 4-0 run from the Rebs gave them early momentum in the fourth frame, but it was short lived as Tennessee responded with their own four-point rally. Kills by Bars and Stroup put Ole Miss back up 6-5, and then a kill and ace from Warnell, followed by a set of Stroup slams kept the Rebels at advantage, 10-7. 
 
Ole Miss kept the upper hand, building a steady three to five-point lead for most of the duration of the set. The Volunteers pressured late in the frame, picking up three points on a pair of kills from transfer Ava Bell and a Rebel miscue, narrowing the Ole Miss lead to 23-18. 
 
In similar fashion the second set, Bair brought the Rebels to set point, and after five straight Volunteer points tied the contest once again, she delivered a huge block to once again put Ole Miss at set point at 25-24. A decisive slam from Stroup evened the contest at two sets apiece after a 26-24 victory forced a Set 5. 
 
A 3-0 run handed Ole Miss early insurance in the finale, putting the Rebs up 5-2. After the Volunteers battled back to come within one at 6-5, two crucial denials at the net from Sultemeier and company (Bars on the first, junior Izzy Guzik on the second) shifted the momentum back into the Rebels' favor. 
 
From that point, the Volunteers pressured and were just a point away from tying five times. After a UT attack error brought the Rebels to match point at 14-12, the Volunteers again threatened at 14-13 before a Stroup slam sealed the set and the match in favor of the Rebs. 
 
UP NEXT
Ole Miss will travel just a short ways south to take on in-state rival Mississippi State next Friday, Oct. 5. The match will be the first of four televised contests for the Rebels this season.   
 
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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
 

Team Stats

UT
OM
Kills
78
61
Errors
35
27
Attempts
211
194
Hitting %
.204
.175
Points
89.0
81.0
Assists
71
53
Aces
3
7
Blocks
8.0
13.0

Game Leaders

Kills
22
Aces
3
Blocks
1
Kills
20
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
5

Players Mentioned

OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
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