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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Wednesday, September 29
Oxford, Miss.
6 p.m.
Ole Miss
2
vs
3
Kentucky
Rebels Fall in Five-Set Battle to No. 6 Kentucky
9/29/2021 | Volleyball
Ole Miss Draws Gillom Center Record Crowd
OXFORD, Miss.— Welcoming a record crowd of 1,251 and No. 6 Kentucky (9-3, 2-0 SEC) to the Gillom Center Wednesday night in its SEC home opener Wednesday night, Ole Miss (12-1, 1-1 SEC) was unable to overcome the defending national champions, falling in a 3-2 battle.
Anna Bair continued her double-digit kill streak, extending it to nine straight matches as she racked up a season-high 20 kills. Payton Brgoch and GG Carvacho also finished with double-digit digs, finishing with 12 apiece. Defensively, Sam Burgio carried the Rebels with 13 digs for her sixth match in a row with 10-plus. Kylee McLaughlin dished out 41 assists for her fourth match this season with 40 or more.
After a contentious first few points, Bair's first kill of the night put Ole Miss up early followed by a Carvacho kill to lead 6-4. Kentucky fired back with two straight kills to tie up the set at six-all. Tied through 13, two straight Wildcat kills allowed them to take the lead at 15-13. Ole Miss stayed within striking distance as Kentucky grew its lead to 20-17 before two straight Rebel kills cut the Wildcat lead to one at 20-19. It wasn't enough as a 5-1 Kentucky burst allowed the Wildcats to take set one 25-20.
The Rebels jumped out early in the second set to a 4-1 lead and continued to grow it as Bair rattled off back-to-back kills to go up 6-3. UK battled back, firing off a 4-0 run to ultimately tie the set at seven-all. A 4-1 Wildcat run put them in the driver's seat leading 11-7. Ole Miss continued to fight back tying up the set at 12-all off of three straight Rebel kills. After trailing by two, a 4-0 Rebel run allowed the squad to take its first lead of the set at 16-14. The Rebels continued to lead into the late going but ultimately the Wildcats were too much as Kentucky took five of the final six points to claim the set 25-23.
After trailing 6-2 to begin the third set, Ole Miss began to pick up momentum off a 5-0 run to lead 7-6. The set went back-and-forth, tied through 13 until Ole Miss broke through with a Brgoch kill and an error from UK to lead 15-13. Hitting at a .280 clip throughout the set, Ole Miss continued to build its lead with strong play from the middles, leading 18-14. Kentucky responded with a 5-1 run to erase the Rebel lead and tie up the set at 19. Five straight Rebel points allowed them to go up 24-19 and Brgoch remained dominant at the net with a kill to take set three 25-20.
Brgoch continued set four where she left off, with back-to-back kills to lead 2-0. Ole Miss remained hot on the outside as Bair and Carvacho continued to add to their kill count, building the Rebel lead to 12-7. A quick 3-0 spurt dominated by Bair with two kills and a block extended the lead to 18-11 and the Rebs never let up. Winning the set 25-16, Ole Miss forced a fifth set for the first time this year.
Kentucky began the fifth set with a 5-1 run, leading to an Ole Miss timeout. The 20th kill of the night from Bair cut the UK lead to three as Ole Miss trailed 9-6. However, the Rebels would get no closer, dropping the decisive fifth set 15-9.
Ole Miss continues its tough stretch this weekend, heading to Gainesville for a series at No. 22 Florida. The Rebels will face off against the Gators Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Both matches from UF 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.
Anna Bair continued her double-digit kill streak, extending it to nine straight matches as she racked up a season-high 20 kills. Payton Brgoch and GG Carvacho also finished with double-digit digs, finishing with 12 apiece. Defensively, Sam Burgio carried the Rebels with 13 digs for her sixth match in a row with 10-plus. Kylee McLaughlin dished out 41 assists for her fourth match this season with 40 or more.
After a contentious first few points, Bair's first kill of the night put Ole Miss up early followed by a Carvacho kill to lead 6-4. Kentucky fired back with two straight kills to tie up the set at six-all. Tied through 13, two straight Wildcat kills allowed them to take the lead at 15-13. Ole Miss stayed within striking distance as Kentucky grew its lead to 20-17 before two straight Rebel kills cut the Wildcat lead to one at 20-19. It wasn't enough as a 5-1 Kentucky burst allowed the Wildcats to take set one 25-20.
The Rebels jumped out early in the second set to a 4-1 lead and continued to grow it as Bair rattled off back-to-back kills to go up 6-3. UK battled back, firing off a 4-0 run to ultimately tie the set at seven-all. A 4-1 Wildcat run put them in the driver's seat leading 11-7. Ole Miss continued to fight back tying up the set at 12-all off of three straight Rebel kills. After trailing by two, a 4-0 Rebel run allowed the squad to take its first lead of the set at 16-14. The Rebels continued to lead into the late going but ultimately the Wildcats were too much as Kentucky took five of the final six points to claim the set 25-23.
After trailing 6-2 to begin the third set, Ole Miss began to pick up momentum off a 5-0 run to lead 7-6. The set went back-and-forth, tied through 13 until Ole Miss broke through with a Brgoch kill and an error from UK to lead 15-13. Hitting at a .280 clip throughout the set, Ole Miss continued to build its lead with strong play from the middles, leading 18-14. Kentucky responded with a 5-1 run to erase the Rebel lead and tie up the set at 19. Five straight Rebel points allowed them to go up 24-19 and Brgoch remained dominant at the net with a kill to take set three 25-20.
Brgoch continued set four where she left off, with back-to-back kills to lead 2-0. Ole Miss remained hot on the outside as Bair and Carvacho continued to add to their kill count, building the Rebel lead to 12-7. A quick 3-0 spurt dominated by Bair with two kills and a block extended the lead to 18-11 and the Rebs never let up. Winning the set 25-16, Ole Miss forced a fifth set for the first time this year.
Kentucky began the fifth set with a 5-1 run, leading to an Ole Miss timeout. The 20th kill of the night from Bair cut the UK lead to three as Ole Miss trailed 9-6. However, the Rebels would get no closer, dropping the decisive fifth set 15-9.
Ole Miss continues its tough stretch this weekend, heading to Gainesville for a series at No. 22 Florida. The Rebels will face off against the Gators Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Both matches from UF 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.
Players Mentioned
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