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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Georgia
Volleyball to Conclude Road Stretch at Georgia
3/23/2021 | Volleyball
Rebels to Face Bulldogs in Mid Week Series Wednesday-Thursday
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OLE MISS (1-17, 1-17) at GEORGIA (5-13, 5-13) Wednesday-Thursday, Mar. 24-25 • 5 p.m. Athens, Ga. • Stegman Coliseum  |
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| WATCH (WEDNESDAY) • WATCH (THURSDAY) • LIVE STATS (WEDNESDAY) • LIVE STATS (THURSDAY) OLE MISS MATCH NOTES • SEC WEEKLY NOTES |
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RALLY POINTS
- Ole Miss looks to wrap up its road stretch and the 2020-21 season in Athens with its final two matches against Georgia.
- The Rebels first win of the season marked a record setting performance, tying the rally scoring era best of 18 total blocks team blocks. Sultemeier tied a personal record of her own with nine block assists, tied for the most in a single-match in the rally scoring era. She last set this record herself, against LSU in the fall of 2019.
- In the second match against the Crimson Tide, Anna Bair hit for a team high 21 kills, the most by a Rebel in a match this season and one shy of her career high. She has led the Rebels with nine matches in double-digit kills
- In her debut in an Ole Miss uniform, freshman right side Samantha Schnitta tallied a total of 10 kills and 12 digs for the first double-double of the season against the Aggies. She is the first freshman Rebel to record a double-double in a season opening match in the past 10 seasons. Schnitta leads the team with five total double-doubles this season, picking up her fifth at LSU with 11 kills and 18 digs.
- Schnitta continues to display her serving strength, recording five aces in the second match against the Bulldogs. This ties the program record for third most in a match all-time in the rally scoring era. Her total of 26 aces on the year ties for 15th overall in the country.
- After missing the fall due to injury, freshman middle blocker Sasha Ratliff has made an immediate impact at the net this spring. The Atlanta native has recorded nine total blocks twice in matches this season, with three block solos and six block assists in the win at LSU.
- Last Meeting: in Oxford, 11/15/19 (Georgia 3, Ole Miss 0)
- Last Win: in Oxford 12/3/17 (Ole Miss 3, Georgia 0)
- All-Time Series: 20-44 (First Meeting, 1976)
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Georgia enters the series with a record of 5-13, after dropping two matches at LSU this past weekend. The Bulldogs have picked up one win this spring, in a 3-2 victory over Texas A&M.
Outside hitter Amber Stivrins leads the Bulldogs averaging 3.53 kills per set, ranking 10th overall in the SEC.
ALL TIME VS. GEORGIA
Georgia holds the advantage in the series that dates back to 1976, 44-20. The Rebels last picked up a win against the Bulldogs in the NIVC in 2017 with a 3-0 sweep from the Gillom Center.
CAREER NUMBERS AGAINST THE BULLDOGS
Bair 7 sets 2 aces 8 digs
Bugg 8 sets 15 digs 1 assist
Scott 13 sets 8 kills 5 blocks
Sultemeier 9 sets 14 kills 7 blocks
Thompson 7 sets 2 aces 8 digs
LAST TIME OUT
In their eighth match against a top-15 opponent this season, the Rebels took No. 3 Kentucky to four sets in Lexington. Anna Bair recorded her ninth match in double-digit kills with 16, while Sasha Ratliff added nine kills and three total blocks against the Wildcats.
MEDAL TIES
Kayla Banwarth enters Athens ready to square up against former U.S. Women's National Team assistant coach and current Georgia head coach Tom Black. Banwarth and Black were both part of the 2016 United States Olympic Team which garnered a bronze medal in Rio.
STREAK SNAPPERS
In the second match against No. 3 Kentucky, the Rebels picked up the third set 25-21, breaking the Wildcats 38 straight set winning streak. The last time UK had dropped a set prior to the match was in Oct. of 2020.
HARD HITTING
In the first match against the Gamecocks, the Rebels hit for their highest clip of the season at .333, and the program's highest since 2018. Three Rebels hit for over .400 individually in the match.
BLOCK PARTY
The Rebels truly dominated the net in the second match at LSU, out-blocking the Tigers 18.0 to 8.0 for the second most blocks in an SEC match this season. Not only did this mark the most blocks in a match this season, but tied the program record for the most blocks in a single match in the rally scoring era. The Rebels last reached this mark in 2017 against Arkansas.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE MARAVICH CENTER
Contributing to the Rebels record block day was junior Aubrey Sultemeier who racked up nine block assists in the victory, tying her own record for most in a match in the rally scoring era. The last time Sultemeier totaled nine block assists? 2019, in a 3-1 win over LSU in Baton Rouge.
TOP-10 ALERT
With her 245th career block, Aubrey Sultemeier cracked the Ole Miss rally scoring top-10 list in the second match against South Carolina.
THAT'S AN ACE
In the second match in Starkville, Samantha Schnitta's serving strength was on full display with five aces against the Bulldogs. This mark tied for third most in a match all-time in the rally scoring era. Schnitta is nine away from cracking the top-five for most in aces in a season in the rally scoring era.
VERSUS RANKED FOES
The last time the Rebels took down a ranked team was on the road last season at No. 22 Missouri in a 3-1 victory. Anna Bair picked up eight kills in the win over the Tigers on Oct. 9 of 2019.
STIFF COMPETITION
The series against Kentucky marked the Rebels seventh and eighth matches against top-15 opponents ranked in the AVCA poll, the most in a single-season dating back to 2003.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
A stellar performance from GG Carvacho against Mizzou, led to the freshman claiming the Rebels first conference honors of the season as the SEC Freshman of the Week. Carvacho totaled 30 kills over two matches, hitting at a .279 clip. She is the ninth freshman since 2001 to tally 20 or more kills in a match.
NEW REBELS ON THE BLOCK
Banwarth announced her inagural signing class on the 11th, with three new Rebels to join the squad next fall. Defensive specialists Bria Samilton and Bailee Middleton will look to assist the squad in the back row, while Under Armour All-American Honorable Mention honoree Julia Dyess will provide power on the outside.
REBELS SLOTTED 10TH IN SEC PRESEASON POLL
After finishing last season in ninth in the SEC with a record of 6-12, Ole Miss was chosen to finish 10th in the first year under Banwarth. Three of the Rebels four opponents this fall season were chosen to finish within the top-five of the conference.
NEW FACES TO THE COACHING STAFF
The Rebels offseason saw a shift in leadership, as Ole Miss hired Nebraska assistant Kayla Banwarth to take the helm.
Banwarth, a first-time head coach, arrived in Oxford after a storied career both at Nebraska and Team USA.
Banwarth is an eight-time medalist with Team USA, including a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and has appeared in the NCAA Tournament seven times in her career (four times as a player, three times as a coach).
Banwarth completed her inaugural staff with fellow Nebraska staffer Beau Lawler and former Oregon standout Maggie Scott. Lawler served as the video coordinator in Lincoln, while Scott was a first-year assistant at La Salle University in Philadelphia.
