The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
LSU
Volleyball Hosts LSU In Midweek Matchup
10/31/2023 | Volleyball
RALLY POINTS
• Ole Miss will be hosting its version of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour for Greek Night on Wednesday.
• The Rebels got revenge over Missouri with a 3-1 victory over the weekend.
• Four of the last five meetings between Ole Miss and LSU have been decided in five sets.
• Junior Bailee Middleton tallied seven aces on Sunday, the second most ever in a single match in program history.
• Sasha Ratliff (.372) and Payton Brgoch (.357) rank second and sixth in the conference in hitting percentage, respectively.
• The middle blocker duo, known as the Rebel Roofing Company, is the only one in the SEC to have two players with 300 career total blocks.
• Libero Cammy Niesen ranks second in the SEC with 381 digs on the season (4.28 per set). She has registered double-digit digs in all but one match this season.
• Anna Bair has tallied double-digit kills in 75 career matches. The senior is three kills away from cracking the top five in program history, regardless of era.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Stepping onto the court and starting every match as a freshman last season, Cammy Niesen dazzled. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native earned a pair of SEC Weekly awards en route to collecting 410 digs. This season, Niesen has stepped up to become not only one of the conference's best but the nation's most elite liberos. Through 23 matches she has 381 digs, the second most in the SEC, and is one of three players in the conference with double-digit digs in at least 20 matches this season.
TAMING THE TIGERS
Exactly 14 days since falling in a five-set heartbreaker on the road to Missouri, Ole Miss volleyball got revenge on its home court, taming the Tigers 3-1. Dominance at the service line was key for the Rebels, who finished with a season-high 13 aces, the most since 2013 (15 vs. Grambling State). Three Rebels tallied double-figure kills, led by Nia Washington with 12 on a team-high .333 hitting clip. Sasha Ratliff registered a season-high eight blocks in the match, including a pair of solo stuffs, and libero Cammy Niesen paced the team with 14 digs to help hold Missouri to a .167 mark offensively.
SERVING THE SPARK
A career day from junior Bailee Middleton at the service line helped Ole Miss set the tone and spark massive runs for the Rebels. She finished Sunday's match with seven aces, the second most ever in a single match in program history, and a career-best 12 digs. Middleton personally led Ole Miss on runs of 3-0, 5-0 and 6-0, holding Missouri to a 32% sideout rate when she was at the service line.
ELITE COMPANY
Leading the Ole Miss attack with 206 kills this season is Sasha Ratliff. A presence in the middle, she recorded her 800th career kill last month against Missouri on October 15. The senior middle blocker is writing her name all over the record book, boasting the best career hitting percentage (minimum 1500 attempts) with a blistering .351 clip and ranking fourth in the rally scoring era with 370 total blocks. One of the best to see the court in a Rebel uniform, Ratliff is one of six athletes in program history, including just the third in the rally scoring era, with at least 800 kills and 350 blocks.
LANDSHARK DEFENSE
One of the most improved areas for the Rebels this season has been the defense. Last season, Ole Miss ranked last in the SEC and 302nd nationally in opponent hitting percentage. That's all changed this season thanks to the addition of associate head coach Taylor Gregory, who leads the defensive efforts along with head coach Bre Henry. So far in 2023, the Ole Miss defense is averaging 14.28 digs per set, the fourth best mark in the SEC. Libero Cammy Niesen plays a large role in the effort, ranking third with her 4.28 digs per set. This, combined with the presence of Sasha Ratliff and Payton Brgoch, who help the Rebels average 2.16 blocks per set, have helped create one of the stingiest defenses in the SEC.
REBEL ROOFING CO.
Over the past three seasons, the Rebels have been fortunate enough to watch two of the program's best middle blockers share the court. Payton Brgoch and Sasha Ratliff are leaving their legacy on Ole Miss volleyball. The duo both actively rank inside the top 10 in program history for total blocks in the rally scoring era, boast the second and third-best single seasons in program history when it comes to blocking and led the Rebels to a new program record for blocks in a season in 2021. Brgoch ranks sixth, boasting 314 total blocks in her career, including 123 last season and 87 this year. Ratliff ranks fourth with 370 total blocks in her career. She has eclipsed 100 blocks in each of the past two seasons, including 129 in 2021. Further, Brgoch and Ratliff are the only middle blocker duo in the SEC and one of 19 nationally to have both players with 300+ total blocks. As both middles play their senior season, they look to cement themselves as two of the best to ever wear an Ole Miss uniform.
SUPER SENIORS
Four years in a Rebel uniform just wasn't enough for Anna Bair and Maggie Miller. After graduating last May with undergraduate degrees from Ole Miss, the two seniors made the decision to come back and utilize their fifth year of eligibility. Now in their "super senior" season, they're back for one more year with their teammates and coaches.
Bair returns for a fifth season after earning back-to-back AVCA South All-Region honors the past two years. She is one of 15 student-athletes in Ole Miss history to tally 1,000 career kills, ranking third in the rally scoring era and sixth all-time with 1,354 total kills. A key piece of the attack since stepping on campus, Bair has appeared in 123 matches in a Rebel uniform and recorded double-digit kills in 75, including 11 this season.
Miller returns for a fifth season in an Ole Miss uniform after appearing in over 320 sets across 91 matches. The Houston, Texas, native is a steady passer in the back row, averaging 1.52 digs per set in her career, and is nine shy of 500 in her career
NEW COURT, WHO DIS?
This season, the Rebels will debut a new Taraflex court. Often described as the "best volleyball surface in the world," Taraflex offers the most protection upon impact compared to any other sports floor. For elite athletes, such as volleyball players who jump, pivot, slide and dive, Taraflex offers superior shock absorption and drastically reduces friction burns, resulting in fewer injuries. Ole Miss' Taraflex court features a faux wood pattern outlined in the Rebels' signature Powder Blue.
SUPPORT THE REBS
The Ole Miss Volleyball ACE Club provides a great opportunity to help head coach Bre Henry support the Rebels year-round. Funds from the Ace Club are a major component in helping address needs within the Ole Miss volleyball program, including updates to facility spaces, specialized training equipment, travel and other unique student-athlete or team building experiences that are critical for recruiting and enhancing the overall Ole Miss student-athlete experience. ACE Club memberships start as low as $100, and members have the opportunity to receive unique benefits and experiences, all while helping the Rebels compete at the highest level throughout the SEC and country.
