.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Kentucky
Volleyball to Welcome No. 6 Kentucky Wednesday
9/28/2021 | Volleyball
 |
OLE MISS (12-0, 1-0 SEC) vs KENTUCKY (8-3, 1-0 SEC) Wednesday, Sept. 29 • 6 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Gillom Center  |
 |
||||||
| WATCH • LIVE STATS OLE MISS NOTES (PDF)• KENTUCKY NOTES (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF) |
||||||||
RALLY POINTS
- Ole Miss continues to roll through the start of the 2021 season, with the Rebels starting 12-0 for the first time since 2014 and going undefeated through non-conference play for the second time in program history. Through 42 sets, Ole Miss has only dropped six after winning the first 14 in a row.
- 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. Her 18 kills against Chicago State tied 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. After averaging 10.20 assists and 3.50 digs per set, McLaughlin was named as the Ole Miss Invitational MVP. McLaughlin leads the Rebels recording four double-doubles this fall.
- Youth highlights the Rebel roster, as Banwarth added five freshmen to the squad. Outside hitter Julia Dyess highlights the freshmen as the Mississippi native earned Under Armour All American Honorable Mention accolades coming out of high school.
OLE MISS vs. KENTUCKY
- Last Meeting: 3/13/21, in Lexington (Kentucky 3, Ole Miss 1)
- Last Win: 10/3/10, in Lexington (Ole Miss 3, Kentucky 0)
- All-Time Series: 12-48 (First Meeting, 1977)
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
The defending national champions concluded with the non-conference season with a record of 7-3, finishing out the slate with a 3-2 win over No. 16 Stanford in Lexington. UK opened up SEC play with a 3-0 win over Missouri Friday night from Lexington with three Wildcats finishing with double-digit kills.
The Wildcats are looking to win their fifth straight SEC title, after returning two AVCA All-Americans including first-team All-American outside hitter Ali Stumler and second-team All-American middle blocker Ahzani Tealer. UK is led offensively by sophomore outside hitter Madi Skinner, averaging 3.95 kills per set.
ALL TIME VS. KENTUCKY
UK has controlled the matchup in recent history against the Rebels winning 18 straight matches..Ole Miss last took down the Wildcats back in 2010, in a 3-0 sweep in Lexington.
LAST TIME AGAINST UK
In the last matchup between the two schools, Ole Miss was able to take a set against the eventual national champions breaking Kentucky's 38 straight set winning streak. However, the Rebels were unable to overcome the Wildcat strength falling 3-1 in Lexington. Anna Bair racked up 16 kills in the match, while Sasha Ratliff and GG Carvacho added nine each.
PREVIOUS MATCH
In the SEC opener at Auburn, Ole Miss started off slow dropping the first set 25-20 yet showed momentum staving off five straight AU set points. It was all Ole Miss from there on out as the Rebels controlled the match with Anna Bair racking up 18 kills and Kylee McLaughlin notching her fourth double-double of the year with 51 assists and 11 digs.
LAST WOMEN STANDING
With SEC play heading into its second week, Ole Miss was 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. The Rebels continue this hot streak heading into the match against the Wildcats 12-0.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
The Rebels are 6-56 all time against ranked opponents, after picking up a win against No. 15 Western Kentucky on the road. The last time the Gillom Center saw Ole Miss take down a ranked foe was 2010 against No. 12 LSU in a 3-0 sweep of the Tigers.
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 five straight matches since 2019.
HOT START
For the first time since 2014, Ole Miss has started the season off 12-0 in the second year under Kayla Banwarth. The Rebels rank first in the SEC, outhitting all other schools at a .291 clip.
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 2.69 blocks per set, Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC and 20th nationally. Sophomore Payton Brgoch leads this charge, averaging 1.37 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 39th at a .383 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.
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
Ole Miss continues its tough stretch this weekend with two more matches against ranked opponents, heading to Gainesville to take on No. -- Florida from The Swamp. The Rebels will face off against the Gators Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. and 12 p.m. CT. Both matches will 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
