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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Volleyball Returns Home to Host Arkansas
10/5/2021 | Volleyball
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OLE MISS (12-3, 1-3 SEC) vs. ARKANSAS (11-4, 4-2 SEC) Wednesday, Oct. 6 • 6 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Gillom Center  |
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| WATCH • LIVE STATS OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF) |
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RALLY POINTS
- Ole Miss enters the third week of conference play looking for its first win over Arkansas since 2019 after a tough three match stretch against ranked opponents. Anna Bair continues to lead the Rebels, as the junior rides a seven match double- digit kill streak heading into the match against the Razorbacks.
- For the first time since 2010, Ole Miss took down a top-15 opponent after defeating No. 15 Western Kentucky 3-1 on their home court. This also marked the first win on the road over a top-15 opponent in program history.
- At the net, Sasha Ratliff was a force through three matches at the Holiday Inn-University Plaza Invitational. The tournament MVP racked up 3.00 kills per set and matched a career-high 15 kills and nine blocks in the win over WKU. Her performance led to her earning SEC Player of the Week on Sept. 13 and Offensive honors, for the Rebels' first weekly honors this season.
- On the outside, Anna Bair was electric throughout the Indiana Invitational, earning all-tournament honors. The St. Louis native, racked up double- digit kills in all three matches. Against Kentucky, her 20 kills marked the most in a single-match by a Rebel this season.
- Former Big 12 Co-Setter of the Year Kylee McLaughlin joined the Rebels as a graduate transfer this off-season after spending two years at Oklahoma. McLaughlin recently recorded her 4,000 career assist against Kentucky, and ranks 11th among active players in total assists.
- Last Meeting: 11/1/20, in Fayetteville (Arkansas 3, Ole Miss 0)
- Last Win: 2019, in Oxford (Ole Miss 3, Arkansas 1)
- All-Time Series: 15-38 (First Meeting, 1994)
SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS
Arkansas enters the third week of SEC play with a record of 11-4 and 2-2 in conference after defeating Georgia Saturday in three straight sets in Fayetteville.
Arkansas leads the conference averaging 1.76 aces per set, and ranks in the top-five in kills, assists, and digs.
ALL TIME VS. ARKANSAS
The series between the Rebels and the Razorbacks has trended in the direction of Arkansas, with the Hogs winning four out of the last five. All-time Ole Miss trails Arkansas 15-38 in a meeting that dates back to 1994. The Rebels last picked up a win in a 2019 matchup from Oxford.
LAST TIME AGAINST ARKANSAS
In the series last season in Fayetteville, Ole
Miss dropped both matches on the road to the Razorbacks. In the 3-1 loss, Lauren Thompson the lone double-double of her career with 11 kills and 12 digs in the match from her home state.
PREVIOUS MATCH
Ole Miss was unable to contain the Gator firepower and get past its strong defense, falling in a 3-0 sweep in Gainesville on Sunday. Anna Bair recorded 10 kills for her seventh straight match in double-digits.
LAST WOMEN STANDING
With SEC play heading into its second week, Ole Miss was the only team in the conference to go through non-conference play unblemished at
a perfect record of 11-0, to start off SEC play undefeated for the second time in program history.
4K AND CLIMBING
With 45 assists against Kentucky, Kylee McLaughlin eclipsed the 4,000 career assist mark. McLaughlin ranks 11th among active NCAA leaders in career assists and its one of 13 active players with over 4,000 in their careeer.
GOING STREAKING
With 10 kills against Florida Sunday, Anna Bair continued her streak with seven straight matches in double-digit kill. This marks the longest streak of the junior's career.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
The Rebels are 6-57 all time against ranked opponents, after picking up a win against No. 15 Western Kentucky on the road for its first win in program history over a ranked opponent.
RECORD FIREPOWER
Ole Miss came out with some big swings against Alabama A&M hitting at a rally scoring era program record .488 clip. It marked the first time since the 2014 season that the Rebels hit for over .400 in a match.
DIGGIN' IT
The Rebel defense put on a strong show in the SEC opener against Auburn with both Sam Burgio, Maggie Miller and Kylee McLaughlin each recording double-digit digs. Burgio becomes the first Rebel to total ten plus digs in seven straight matches since 2019.
HOT START
For the first time since 2014, Ole Miss started the season off 12-0 in the second year under Kayla Banwarth marking the second best start in program history.
BREAK OUT THE BROOMS
Not only did the Rebels open the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016, it also marked the first time since 2014 that Ole Miss has swept its first two opening matches.
THE BLOCK PARTY CONTINUES
With 2.66 blocks per set, Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC and 22nd nationally. Sophomore Payton Brgoch leads this charge, averaging 1.35 blocks per set.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
After appearing in 15 matches as a freshman, Brgoch has made a big jump in year two of her Rebel career. The middle blocker has already bested her previous career-highs, racking up 18 kills in the win at Western Kentucky. Nationally, Brgoch ranks 26th at a .402 clip and sixth in the SEC.
MVP PERFORMANCE
Sasha Ratliff sure had herself a weekend in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Atlanta native tied her career-highs racking up 15 kills and nine blocks in the win over No. 15 WKU. Ratliff was ultimately named the Holiday Inn-University Plaza Tournament MVP and was then the first Rebel since 2016 to be named the SEC Player of the Week.
READY FOR ROUND TWO
Year two of the Kayla Banwarth era continues, after an rigorous 2020-21 season with eight matches against top-15 opponents from the AVCA Poll. This marked the most matches against ranked opponents in a single-season dating back to 2003.
NEW FACES TO THE BENCH
Three new faces joined the Rebel volleyball family this offseason with the addition of former George Mason middle blocker Brad Creamer as a volunteer assistant coach.
Another former Patriot made his way to Oxford as well, with five-time letterwinner outside hitter Sam Greenslade joining the staff as a graduate manager.
Rounding out the staff is coordinator of operations Kendra Charles. Charles joins the Rebels after spending five seasons as the director of volleyball operations at Northern Colorado.
MISSISSIPPI MADE
When freshman outside hitter Julia Dyess made her Rebel debut against UTSA, she became the first Mississippi native to don a Rebel uniform since 2002. The Brandon native garnered Under Armour All-American Honorable Mention honors as a senior at Hartfield Academy.
CLIMBIN' ON UP
Senior middle blocker Aubrey Sultemeier continues to cement her legacy as a Rebel moving up the Ole Miss record book as one of the top middle blockers in program history.
The Fredericksburg, Texas, native is 21 total blocks away from cracking the top-five in the rally scoring era. She already holds the top spot in single-match block assists, recording nine on two separate occasions.
REBELS SLOTTED 11TH IN SEC PRESEASON POLL
After finishing in 12th last season, Ole Miss was tabbed to finish 11th overall in this year's SEC Preseason poll.
The defending national champions held the top spot, as Kentucky was picked as the favorite to repeat as the conference champions again, receiving a total of seven first place votes.
KEEPING IT 100-AT THE GILLOM CENTER
Following a year of limited capacity at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center, Ole Miss is ready to welcome fans back into the venue for 12 home matches.
Admission to any Ole Miss volleyball match is free of charge. Fans are required to wear a mask in accordance with university policies.
UP NEXT
The Rebels head back out on the road next week with a trip to the Lone Star State to face off against Texas A&M Wednesday the 13th. The match against the Aggies will air nationally on the SEC Network at 8 p.m. CT.
