The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, September 8
New Orleans, LA
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Rebels Thrill in Five for Tournament Title at Tulane
9/8/2019 | Volleyball
Ole Miss claws through three extra-point affairs to push Coach McRoberts to 100 program wins
NEW ORLEANS, La. – In a thrilling five-set affair that saw Ole Miss Volleyball (3-3) win their three critical sets all by extra points, the Rebels downed tournament hosts Tulane (5-2) in the title match of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Volleyball Classic Sunday (17-25, 27-25, 15-25, 26-24, 17-15).
With the sweep of the weekend, head coach Steven McRoberts posted his 100th at Ole Miss. He now sits at 100-70 in his six seasons in Oxford.
The outside hitting duo of senior Emily Stroup and freshman Anna Bair were honored with All-Tournament plaudits, while Stroup was crowned MVP of the weekend. The pair combined for 34 kills in the contest, as Stroup registered her first 20-kill match of the season. Stroup added four blocks and 15 digs, recording her third double-double of the season.
Senior Nayo Warnell added nine slams, finishing the day on a .529 hitting percentage, and sophomore Aubrey Sultemeier delivered a career-best performance with eight block assists.
In addition to Stroup, three other Rebels posted double-digit digs, led by senior libero Nicole Purcell's 22. Junior setter Lauren Bars tallied 17 to accompany 49 assists for her fourth double-double of the year, and sophomore Avery Bugg posted a career-high 19. Bars also tallied seven kills, hitting at a .375 clip.
Back-to-back solo rejections from Sultemeier gave the Rebels early momentum and a slight edge, but neither team could build a lead as the squads traded points and endured five ties before each reaching double-digit points in the opening stanza. Tulane tallied four unanswered to take control of the frame, and the Rebels were never able to rebuild, unable to tally more than two consecutive points in the set and fell 25-17, having to play from behind for the first time all tournament.
Ole Miss used a three-point rally to take control of the second game early, forcing Tulane to burn a timeout early at 6-3. The Green Wave crept back to within one, stifling another three-point advantage to even things at nine. Tulane officially took momentum with a lead as big as 12-15, but Ole Miss secured four straight points (including an ace and kill by Bair) to get back in the driver's seat at 18-16.
After a 3-0 run put Ole Miss close to set success, the Green Wave went on a 5-0 run to not only tie but then force their own set point at 25-24. From there, a pair of Bair kills sandwiched between a block from Sultemeier and Bars evened the contest in thrilling fashion at 27-25.
Tulane exploded in the third set, going up by a 9-3 mark after securing the first four consecutive points of the frame. The Wave continued to command, using rallies of six and seven points each to build an overwhelming lead over the Rebels and regain match lead at 2-1 (25-15).
Other than an early four-point run for Tulane, neither squad could really gain ground in the fourth set. The Rebs used a quartet of points, including the set-tying slam from Stroup, to even things at 17 all. Stroup found a late offensive surge, tallying three kills of the Rebels six points since the 17-17 mark.
The two squads battled, enduring four ties before Tulane stole back the lead at 23-22. A kill from Warnell kept the Rebs alive at match point, where the squad rolled through four straight points (a block by the duo of Sultemeier and sophomore Lauren Thompson, a Bair kill, and a Purcell ace) to force a fifth and final frame at 26-24.
Tulane took control of the set at the court switch, but it was short lived as Bars powered for a kill, and Stroup continued from her fourth-set ignition to get Ole Miss back in control at 9-8. A block from Warnell and Stroup put the Rebs up a pair, but the Green Wave continued to fight and forced a tie.
Cat-and-mouse ensued, as the two squads tied at the 12, 13, 14, and 15 point marks, going into an extra two match points. The Rebels gained an edge after a Tulane service error at 16-15, and the set, match, and tournament title were then sealed on a critical kill from Bars.
UP NEXT
Ole Miss heads out on another weekend road trip, traveling to Conway, Ark., for the Central Arkansas Classic, where the Rebels will face UCA, Oral Roberts, and Little Rock. It will be a homecoming of sorts, as current head coach Steven McRoberts began his Division I coaching career at UCA.
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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.
With the sweep of the weekend, head coach Steven McRoberts posted his 100th at Ole Miss. He now sits at 100-70 in his six seasons in Oxford.
The outside hitting duo of senior Emily Stroup and freshman Anna Bair were honored with All-Tournament plaudits, while Stroup was crowned MVP of the weekend. The pair combined for 34 kills in the contest, as Stroup registered her first 20-kill match of the season. Stroup added four blocks and 15 digs, recording her third double-double of the season.
Senior Nayo Warnell added nine slams, finishing the day on a .529 hitting percentage, and sophomore Aubrey Sultemeier delivered a career-best performance with eight block assists.
In addition to Stroup, three other Rebels posted double-digit digs, led by senior libero Nicole Purcell's 22. Junior setter Lauren Bars tallied 17 to accompany 49 assists for her fourth double-double of the year, and sophomore Avery Bugg posted a career-high 19. Bars also tallied seven kills, hitting at a .375 clip.
Back-to-back solo rejections from Sultemeier gave the Rebels early momentum and a slight edge, but neither team could build a lead as the squads traded points and endured five ties before each reaching double-digit points in the opening stanza. Tulane tallied four unanswered to take control of the frame, and the Rebels were never able to rebuild, unable to tally more than two consecutive points in the set and fell 25-17, having to play from behind for the first time all tournament.
Ole Miss used a three-point rally to take control of the second game early, forcing Tulane to burn a timeout early at 6-3. The Green Wave crept back to within one, stifling another three-point advantage to even things at nine. Tulane officially took momentum with a lead as big as 12-15, but Ole Miss secured four straight points (including an ace and kill by Bair) to get back in the driver's seat at 18-16.
After a 3-0 run put Ole Miss close to set success, the Green Wave went on a 5-0 run to not only tie but then force their own set point at 25-24. From there, a pair of Bair kills sandwiched between a block from Sultemeier and Bars evened the contest in thrilling fashion at 27-25.
Tulane exploded in the third set, going up by a 9-3 mark after securing the first four consecutive points of the frame. The Wave continued to command, using rallies of six and seven points each to build an overwhelming lead over the Rebels and regain match lead at 2-1 (25-15).
Other than an early four-point run for Tulane, neither squad could really gain ground in the fourth set. The Rebs used a quartet of points, including the set-tying slam from Stroup, to even things at 17 all. Stroup found a late offensive surge, tallying three kills of the Rebels six points since the 17-17 mark.
The two squads battled, enduring four ties before Tulane stole back the lead at 23-22. A kill from Warnell kept the Rebs alive at match point, where the squad rolled through four straight points (a block by the duo of Sultemeier and sophomore Lauren Thompson, a Bair kill, and a Purcell ace) to force a fifth and final frame at 26-24.
Tulane took control of the set at the court switch, but it was short lived as Bars powered for a kill, and Stroup continued from her fourth-set ignition to get Ole Miss back in control at 9-8. A block from Warnell and Stroup put the Rebs up a pair, but the Green Wave continued to fight and forced a tie.
Cat-and-mouse ensued, as the two squads tied at the 12, 13, 14, and 15 point marks, going into an extra two match points. The Rebels gained an edge after a Tulane service error at 16-15, and the set, match, and tournament title were then sealed on a critical kill from Bars.
UP NEXT
Ole Miss heads out on another weekend road trip, traveling to Conway, Ark., for the Central Arkansas Classic, where the Rebels will face UCA, Oral Roberts, and Little Rock. It will be a homecoming of sorts, as current head coach Steven McRoberts began his Division I coaching career at UCA.
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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
OM
TLN
Kills
59
74
Errors
22
26
Attempts
190
207
Hitting %
.195
.232
Points
71.0
89.0
Assists
55
68
Aces
3
7
Blocks
9.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
20
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballMB
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