The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
19-7,8-7SEC
Georgia
10-16,6-9SEC
Volleyball Downs Georgia, 3-1
11/18/2021 | Volleyball
Thompson and McLaughlin Record Double-Doubles
OXFORD, Miss – Ole Miss volleyball took care of business, downing Georgia 3-1 Thursday night at the Gillom Center.
Senior Lauren Thompson paced Ole Miss with 18 kills and 13 digs, notching her second straight double-double. One kill shy of her career-high, the Springdale, Arkansas, native has recorded double-digit kills in each of her last five matches. Kylee McLaughlin also finished with 39 assists and season-high 18 digs, picking up her 11th double-double this year.
Ole Miss (19-7, 8-7 SEC) found its groove early, forcing Georgia (10-15, 6-9 SEC) to call timeout after a 5-1 run put the Rebels up 14-10. Ole Miss continued to extend its lead to five, and with set point looming, Thompson took over with three kills and an ace to help take set one, 25-20. The Rebels carried their momentum into the second set dominating from the start. With a controlled attack and smart play, Payton Brgoch registered four kills, and Ole Miss capitalized on 13 errors by the Bulldogs to cruise to an 11-point set victory.
Thompson came out hot, picking up her 10th kill of the night and kicking off a 7-2 run to open the ensuing set. Not ready to go home, Georgia responded to force a fourth set. The Bulldogs erased the deficit with a pair of runs to steal set three from the Rebels, 25-19.
Looking to close the door once and for all, Ole Miss jumped out to a 10-6 lead. The Bulldogs battled to stay in the contest, tying it up at 12 all, however, Sasha Ratliff and the Ole Miss attack proved to be too much. Ratliff tallied five kills in the set, including the final three of the match to hand the Rebels a 25-18 set victory and a 3-1 win over the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss goes for the sweep against Georgia on Friday at 6 p.m. CT and is looking to pick up win No. 20 on the season. In their final home match of 2021, the Rebels plan to honor four seniors: Sam Burgio, Kylee McLaughlin, Aubrey Sultemeier and Lauren Thompson. The match will be available to stream on SEC Network+.
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.
