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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
20-8,9-8SEC
Alabama
10-19,2-15SEC
Volleyball Sweeps Alabama For Win No. 20
11/26/2021 | Volleyball
Rebels Break Single-Season Total Block Record
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Ole Miss volleyball picked up its 20th victory of the season in style, sweeping Alabama Friday night at Foster Auditorium and keeping its hopes of an NCAA Tournament at-large bid alive. It also marks the first 20-win season for the Rebels since 2017.
Middle blocker Sasha Ratliff was dominant at the net, leading Ole Miss with nine kills and a .615 hitting percentage. The sophomore also added four total blocks, breaking the single-season record for block assists and moving her just seven away from the total block record. As a team, Ole Miss collected eight blocks to set the single-season record with 456 blocks and counting in 2021. Anna Bair and Lauren Thompson powered the offense with 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Bair also hit .458 on the night, helping the Rebels record their sixth-best clip of the season at .347.
Playing on the road, Ole Miss (20-8, 9-8 SEC) wasted no time, leading the entirety of set one. After jumping out to a 6-1 lead over Alabama (10-19, 2-15 SEC), the Rebels continued to hold a five-point advantage as the first team to 15. Just when it looked like Ole Miss was going to run away with it, the Crimson Tide kept it tight, pulling within two, 23-21, but ultimately couldn't complete the comeback after consecutive attacking errors gave Ole Miss the victory. Bair and Thompson paced the squad in the first set with six kills each.
Once again in set two, the Rebels got off to a hot start, forcing Alabama to call a timeout with an early 8-3 lead. However, the Crimson Tide mustered up a fight to tie things up at 15 and later took their first and only lead of the night at 18-16. Ole Miss responded with a 3-0 run out of its timeout to retake the lead and never looked back. Ratliff led the way with five kills in the set, including the final one on match point to help the Rebels win 25-21 again.
Looking to close out the match with a sweep, Thompson and Ratliff continued to put points on the board with a pair of early kills. Head coach Kayla Banwarth won two critical challenges in the set to keep the momentum on Ole Miss' half of the court. The Rebels went on to lead by as many as 11, leaving no doubt in the third set. Freshman Charlotte Rodgers made her collegiate debut in the set, checking in for the final points of the match. Bair paced the team with five kills, but it was freshman Katie Corelli who came away with the final two of the night to slam the door and secure the sweep with a 25-17 set victory.
Ole Miss looks to solidify itself as one of the top 64 teams in the nation and close out SEC play with another win over Alabama on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. 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.
