The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Creighton
Volleyball Set For NCAA First Round Match At Creighton
12/1/2021 | Volleyball
Rebels and Bluejays Square Off at 7 p.m.
 |
OLE MISS (21-8, 10-8 SEC) at No. 14 CREIGHTON (30-3, 16-2) Thursday, Dec. 2 • 7 p.m. CT • Omaha, Neb. D.J. Sokol Arena  |
 |
||||||
| WATCH • LIVE STATS • TICKETS OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) • CREIGHTON NOTES (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF) |
||||||||
RALLY POINTS
• For the fourth time in program history, Ole Miss has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels are set to take on No. 14 seed Creighton on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. CT.
• It is the first NCAA Tournament bid for Ole Miss since 2010 and the first trip to the "Big Dance" under head coach Kayla Banwarth.
• In terms of winning percentage, the Rebels saw a 67.4 percent increase from last season, the best turnaround in Division I Volleyball. Further, of the teams who competed during the shortened 2020-21 season, Ole Miss is one of two Power Five teams and five programs nationally to see a 20-plus win improvement from the previous year.
• Following the conclusion of the regular season, the SEC unveiled its postseason awards, with Ole Miss' Kylee McLaughlin and Sasha Ratliff being named to the All-SEC Team. It marks the first time Ole Miss has had two student-athletes tabbed All-SEC.
• Sophomore middle blocker Sasha Ratliff earned one of those all-conference nods after recording a school record 112 assisted blocks this season while recording the 29th best attacking percentage in the nation with a .387 clip.
• Graduate transfer setter Kylee McLaughlin added All-SEC honors to her trophy case that includes Pac 12 Freshman of the Year, two First-Team All-Big 12 nods and 2018 Big 12 Co-Setter of the Year. This season, McLaughlin has made an immediate impact, assisting on 76 percent of kills while recording 40 or more assists on 11 different occasions.
• After sweeping Alabama in back-to-back matches to end the season, Ole Miss reached 21 victories, marking the program's first 20-win regular season since 2013.
• It's been a record-breaking season for the Rebels, who finished the regular season with the highest winning percentage in program history (.724) and attacking percentage in the rally scoring era (.258). Ole Miss also topped its single-season record in block assists and total blocks.
OLE MISS ALL-TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Rebels are taking part in their fourth-ever NCAA Tournament and are looking for their first win at the Big Dance. Ole Miss is 0-3 in first round matchups in the tournament, with its last appearance coming in 2010. This is the first NCAA appearance for head coach Kayla Banwarth, who is in her second season with the Rebels, but she is no stranger to the big stage. As an assistant coach at Nebraska (2017-2019), Banwarth helped guide the Huskers to the 2017 NCAA National Title, National Runner Up in 2018 and an Elite Eight appearance in 2019. As a player, the former walk-on libero led Nebraska to the Final Four in 2008. Banwarth has made it clear in just her second season that making the NCAA Volleyball Championship is the new standard.
GOING DANCING!
For the first time in 11 years, the Rebels are going dancing. Ole Miss volleyball earned an at-large to the NCAA Tournament, with the Rebels set to take on No. 14 Creighton on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. CT in Omaha, Nebraska. It is the first NCAA Tournament bid for Ole Miss since 2010 and the first trip to the "Big Dance" under Banwarth. In their last appearance in 2010, the Rebels fell to North Carolina in four sets (25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 25-9).
Finishing tied for fifth in the SEC with a 10-2 record and a 21-8 mark overall, Ole Miss recorded its first 20-win regular season since 2013. The Rebels also picked up their first top-15 win since 2010, handing No. 15 Western Kentucky its first regular season loss since 2019, snapping a streak of 53 straight victories for the Hilltoppers. Ole Miss has been hot down the stretch to get into the tournament, winning seven of its last 10 matches.
SCOUTING CREIGHTON
The Bluejays are led by three-time National Coach of the Year Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who owns a 413-178 mark in her 19th year at Creighton. Creighton had four women earn All-BIG EAST honors, including seniors Abby Bottomley (4.87 dps., 0.39 saps.) and Jaela Zimmerman (3.66 kps., 3.27 dps.) and freshmen Kendra Wait (10.43 aps., 3.05 dps., 0.88 bps., 1.20 kps., .331%) and Norah Sis (3.69 kps., 2.96 dps.). Sis was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year last Wednesday before being named Most Outstanding Player of the 2021 BIG EAST Championship on Saturday. The Bluejays lead the nation in match victories (30), set victories (93), road wins (12), wins away from home (19) and opponents hitting percentage (.117).
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's First Round matchup between Ole Miss and Creighton will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools. It will also mark the Rebels' fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament (2006, 2007, 2010, 2021). Ole Miss is 0-3 in the Big Dance, while No. 14 Creighton boasts a 10-11 record in the national tournament, including an 8-2 mark in the First Round.
LAST MEETING
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Rebels fought hard, but it wasn't in the cards as Ole Miss fell to Creighton 0-3 (13-25, 23-25, 20-25) to close out the Gamecock Invitational.
Creighton raced out of the gates, quickly racing to a 10-2 advantage that sent the Rebels into a timeout. The Rebels were unable to close the gap as the Bluejays extended the lead out to 20-7 and forced Ole Miss into a second timeout. Creighton went on to claim the first set 25-13.
Ole Miss turned the tables to open the second set, jumping out to a 5-2 lead. It was short-lived, however, as Creighton answered with a run to tie things at 14 before a back-and-forth struggle ensued. Both teams traded the lead, but in the end, the Bluejays took the second set 25-23 on the next play.
The Rebels fell behind early in the third set as Creighton opened up a 5-0 lead to start the set. Ole Miss responded and kept pace with the Bluejays for a while but called a timeout when the lead moved out to 17-12 in favor of Creighton. Ole Miss couldn't get over the hump despite cutting into the lead repeatedly as Creighton claimed the match with a 25-20 win in the third set.
THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR CAN MAKE
With two wins on the road at Alabama, Ole Miss picked up its 20th and 21st victories of the season, notching its first 20-win regular season since 2010. Less than 10 months ago, Ole Miss finished the 2020-21 season with a 1-19 record. However, head coach Kayla Banwarth has turned the program around in year two as the Rebels went from one win to 21 and an NCAA Tournament berth.
MAKING HISTORY
Following one of the best regular seasons in program history, Ole Miss volleyball's Kylee McLaughlin and Sasha Ratliff were named to the All-SEC team, the conference announced Sunday. It marks the first time Ole Miss has had two student-athletes tabbed All-SEC. The duo was instrumental in the Rebels' rapid turnaround to a 21-8 record this season, the first 20-win regular season for Ole Miss since 2013. The Rebels' .724 (21-8) winning percentage is the best in program history in the rally scoring era. With McLaughlin and Ratliff on the court, Ole Miss finished tied for fifth in the SEC with ten conference wins, the most since it won 13 in 2010.
HOT HANDS
After hitting at a .348 clip in the two matches against Alabama, Ole Miss finished the season with a .258 attacking percentage, the highest in program history. Leading the charge are sophomores Sasha Ratliff and Payton Brgoch, who rank third and eighth in the SEC with .387 and .327 hitting percentages, respectively. Junior Anna Bair has also been a key contributor, averaging 3.45 kills per set.
MEET YOU AT THE NET
Ole Miss has been a dominant force at the net this season. The Rebels have already broken the single-season program record for block assists with 424 and counting, besting the mark of 390 set in 2013, and 475 total blocks, breaking the program record of 452 (2019). Ole Miss ranks fourth in the SEC and 44th nationally, with 2.46 blocks per set. Sophomore Sasha Ratliff leads the charge with 128 total blocks and has a chance to set the school record for most blocks in a season.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
Seniors Kylee McLaughlin and Lauren Thompson have recorded a combined 15 double-doubles this season. Especially as of late, the duo has been hot. McLaughlin has tallied 12 of them, including six of the Rebels' last ten matches, while Thompson has picked up two in her last five matches.
BANWARTH INKS TALENTED CLASS ON 2022 SIGNING DAY
Head coach Kayla Banwarth added top talent to the Rebels' 2022 class this fall with the addition of six signees, including multiple Prep Volleyball Top-150 honorees and numerous accolades from all-conference, to all-state team members. Of the six, five recently garnered AVCA All-America honors, tied with Florida for the most in the nation. Banwarth signed a trio of outside hitters in Shayla Meyer, Vivian Miller and Emma Schwieger, as well as two-time All-American setter Aly Borellis. She also added a libero/defensive specialist in Cammy Niesen and middle blocker Tessa Jones out of Ohio.
CLIMBING 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 cracked the top-five with 229 block assists, recording two in the season finale at Alabama. She already holds the top spot in single-match block assists, recording nine on two separate occasions.
THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE
Sasha Ratliff couldn't be stopped in the series against the Gamecocks, racking up a total of 37 kills on the weekend, all while hitting at a .525 clip. For the first time in her career, Ratliff hit for 20 plus kills in the first match against South Carolina, totaling a career-high 22 kills. She remained just as dominant at the net, recording eight blocks for the third time this season.
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 with 4,621 and is one of 22 active players with over 4,000 in their career.
GETTING IN A GROOVE
Riley Fischer has cemented her spot in the libero uniform, displaying her confidence with a 21 dig performance in the first match against South Carolina, setting a career-high. This also set the most digs by a Rebel in a single match this season.
HOT START
For the first time since 2014, Ole Miss started the season off 12-0, marking the second-best start in program history. The Rebels were also the only team in the SEC to go through non-conference play unblemished at a perfect record of 11-0.
MVP PERFORMANCE
Sasha Ratliff sure had herself a weekend in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Atlanta native tied her then 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.
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.
READY FOR ROUND TWO
Year two of the Kayla Banwarth era continues after a 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.
REBELS SLOTTED 11TH IN PRESEASON POLL
After finishing 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.
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.
