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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
17-5,6-5SEC
South Carolina
12-10,4-8SEC
Ole Miss Dominates South Carolina in Straight Sets
10/30/2021 | Volleyball
Rebels Offensive Firepower Too Hot to Handle
OXFORD, Miss. — It was all Ole Miss from start to finish as the Rebels won their fourth straight in a dominant 3-0 sweep over South Carolina at the Gillom Center on Saturday night.
Ole Miss (17-5, 6-5 SEC) picked up its second straight SEC series win and its first sweep over South Carolina (12-10, 4-8 SEC) since 2017. The Rebels could not be stopped, hitting at a .389 clip for their highest performance in SEC play this season. Three Rebels finished the night with double figures in kills, led by Sasha Ratliff with 15, Anna Bair with 14 and followed by Lauren Thompson with a season-high 12. Kylee McLaughlin continued to feed her hitters with 41 assists, her sixth match in a row with 30 or more.
Ole Miss came out of the gate fired up, with Ratliff starting where she left off Friday night with two kills and a block for Ole Miss to lead 6-1. South Carolina charged back, pulling within two at 10-8, and later tied up the set at 13 all. However, the Rebels unleaded an 8-0 run to take command of the set 21-13 and eventually claim set one 25-15.
The Rebels continued into the second set on an offensive tear, with Thompson and Ratliff adding to their kill counts to lead 5-1. Ole Miss refused to let up, as they worked to build its lead up by nine at 17-8. Thompson remained strong, flying in from the back row to assist the Rebel offense as they ran away with set two, 25-13, to lead 2-0.
After trailing 2-0 to begin the third set, the Rebel energy remained high with a 6-0 run to lead 6-2. The Gamecocks stormed back with a 4-0 run to assist in tying the set at eight all. Trailing by one at 9-8, the Rebels came out of a timeout rejuvenated and went on a 4-0 run to retake a lead at 12-9. The Gamecocks pulled within three at 23-20, yet were unable to overcome the Rebels as they took the set 25-20 and the match 3-0.
Ole Miss is set for a week off to prepare for a road test, visiting No. 21 Tennessee next Sunday (November 7). The match from Knoxville is scheduled to air nationally on ESPNU at 1 p.m. CT.
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB, Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball, and on Instagram at @olemissvb. You can also follow head coach Kayla Banwarth on Twitter @KaylaBanwarth2.
