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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Texas A&M
Volleyball Continues SEC Play Against Texas A&M And Kentucky
10/5/2023 | Volleyball
Rebels Host Aggies Friday at 6 p.m.
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OLE MISS VS. TEXAS A&M October 6 • 6 p.m. • Oxford, Miss.  |
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OLE MISS VS. #22 KENTUCKY October 8 • 12:30 p.m. • Lexington, Ky.  |
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RALLY POINTS
• Ole Miss Volleyball closes out a three-match homestand on Friday, October 1, hosting Texas A&M. The Rebels then hit the road for a battle with No. 22 Kentucky on Sunday, October 8.
• Last week, Ole Miss split in SEC play, defeating South Carolina in a five-set thriller and falling to No. 12 Tennessee in three sets.
• The Rebels boast a 5-1 record on their home court this season.
• Julia Dyess recorded her first double-double of the season against the Gamecocks. She tallied a career-high 19 kills and 14 digs in the win.
• The Rebels have been sound on defense, leading the SEC in digs per set (15.3) and ranking third in opponent hitting percentage (.154).
• Libero Cammy Niesen leads the SEC with 257 digs on the season (4.59 per set).
• The middle blocker duo of Payton Brgoch and Sasha Ratliff leads the SEC in hitting percentage and ranks top-30 in the nation.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
The Rebels wrap up their three-match homestand this Friday, playing host to the Texas A&M Aggies (10-4, 2-2 SEC) for the first of two matchups this season. The Aggies come to Oxford after a week in which they took down No. 3 Florida in a five-set thriller and fell to Missouri at home. First year head coach Jamie Morrison has brought his olympic-winning pedigree to College Station and has the Aggies receiving votes in the most recent top-25 poll. Texas A&M boasts an intense front row led by sophomore right side Logan Lednicky and sophomore middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, who lead the team with 3.41 kills per set and 1.90 blocks per set, respectively. Cos-Okpalla currently leads the SEC in blocks per set and owns the best mark in the NCAA. Defensively, the Aggies are paced by senior libero Lauren Hogan, who picks up 2.17 digs per set.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Wrapping up the third week of SEC conference play, the Rebels will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to face the No. 22 Wildcats for their lone matchup this season. Kentucky (5-7, 3-1 SEC) went an unusual 2-6 during non-conference but played one of the toughest schedules, featuring seven ranked opponents. This experience has boosted them into SEC play, starting off with a 3-1 record, taking down LSU, Georgia and Alabama. UK's offense is led by senior pin hitter Regan Rutherford with 3.77 kills per set and true freshman outside Brooklyn DeLeye with 3.18 kills per set, the top two marks on the team. Defensively, the Wildcats are led by middle blockers Jordyn Williams and Elise Goetzinger, who combine for 1.87 blocks per set, with 2021 SEC Libero of the Year Eleanor Beavin lurking in the backcourt, averaging 3.57 digs per set.
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss trails the all-time series with both Texas A&M and Kentucky. The Aggies lead a lopsided history, winning 18 of the 21 meetings; however the last two meetings have been split between the two teams. Kentucky also holds a strong edge over the Rebels in the all-time series leading 50-12. Ole Miss is searching for its first win over the Wildcats since 2010.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
This season, Ole Miss has had some of its best success at home. The Rebels are off to a 5-1 start in Oxford, their best since the 2017 season, and look to continue to find ways to win in front of the home crowd. As a team, Ole Miss is averaging 14.00 kills per set on a .316 attacking percentage in the Gillom Center while holding its opponents to a .180 mark. Further, the Rebels have won 15 of the 20 total sets played on their home court.
MISSISSIPPI MADE
For junior outside hitter Julia Dyess, wearing Ole Miss means more. A native of Brandon, Mississippi, Dyess chose to stay in state and represent Mississippi, serving as a role model for other girls throughout the state as the sport continues to grow. This past weekend, she led Ole Miss to a come-from-behind win over South Carolina behind a career-high 19 kills and 14 digs. As SEC play heats up, Dyess looks to become a weapon for the Rebels on the outside and out of the back row.
SHOWTIME
Battling back to force a fifth set, Ole Miss volleyball came from behind to top South Carolina 3-2 in a five-set thriller last Friday night. Julia Dyess and Sasha Ratliff willed the Rebels to victory, finishing with 19 kills each. The 19 kills on a .308 hitting clip also marked a career-high for the Brandon, Mississippi, native Dyess. Two other Rebels also tallied double-digit kills to aid the offense. Nia Washington recorded 13, and Bair registered 11, including her 1,300th career kill. Setter Aly Borellis was pivotal in keeping the offense on track to hit at a .284 mark. The sophomore dished out 62 assists, a career-high and the second most by a Rebel in a single match in the Rally Scoring Era.
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 15.02 digs per set, the top mark in the SEC. Libero Cammy Niesen plays a large role in the effort, leading all athletes in the conference with her 4.59 digs per set. This, combined with the presence of Sasha Ratliff and Payton Brgoch, who help the Rebels average 2.13 blocks per set, have helped create one of the stingiest defenses in the SEC. Ole Miss is holding its opponents to a .173 hitting percentage in 2023, the third-best in the league and 56th mark nationally.
TAMING THE TIDE
Ole Miss volleyball opened SEC play against Alabama, sweeping the Tide in front of a packed Gillom Center last Friday night. Playing without All-SEC middle blocker Sasha Ratliff, Ole Miss turned to its underclassmen. Vivian Miller, Shayla Meyer and Tessa Jones answered the call, combining for 24 of the Rebels' 41 kills. Jones, who split the workload with Payton Brgoch in the middle, helped Ole Miss hold the conference's top attacking team to a mere .084 hitting percentage.
DIGGIN' IT
As the Rebels rounded out non-conference play, the Ole Miss backcourt, led by libero Cammy Niesen, helped Ole Miss tally 113 digs against Tulsa, breaking another single match program record this season. Five Rebels finished with double-digit digs as the team topped the century mark. Niesen led the effort with a career-high 34 digs, the third most in a single match in the rally scoring era and the most by a Rebel since 2010. Aly Borellis, Maggie Miller, Anna Bair and Julia Dyess all followed with 10-plus in the match.
HOME SWEEP HOME
Ole Miss swept through the competition on its opening weekend in Oxford. The Rebels were crowned Ole Miss Invitational Champs after defeating Alcorn State, South Dakota State and Tennessee Tech in straight sets. Ole Miss was firing on all cylinders, hitting a combined .383 on the weekend while holding opponents to a mere .104 mark. Payton Brgoch was named tournament MVP, recording 30 kills on a .683 clip over nine sets played. Teammates Anna Bair and Sasha Ratliff joined her on the All-Tournament.
HOT HITTING
Playing in front of its home crowd for the first time this season, the Rebels put on an offensive clinic, dominating Alcorn State to open the Ole Miss Invitational. The Rebels tied the program record for attacking percentage set two seasons ago against Alabama A&M, hitting at a blistering .488 mark with nearly 50 kills on 80 attempts. Payton Brgoch led the way with 11 kills on 16 swings, and Sasha Ratliff was also a perfect 6-of-6 in the match.
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.
DIME TIME
Sophomore setter Aly Borellis picked up her 1,000th career assist on August 27, needing only 28 matches to accomplish the feat. Last season, the Rochester, Michigan, native earned SEC All-Freshman team honors after leading the Rebel offense. Now, she is looking to not only establish herself as one of the conference's best setters but the nation's. Borellis is averaging 10.18 assists per set, fifth in the SEC and 42nd in the country.
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 seventh, boasting 283 total blocks in her career, including 123 last season and 52 already in 2023. Ratliff ranks fourth with 335 total blocks in her career. She has eclipsed 100 blocks in each of the past two years, including 129 in 2021. With both middles playing 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 1,309 total kills. A key piece of the attack ever since stepping on campus, Bair has appeared in 115 matches in a Rebel uniform and recorded double-digit kills in 73, including nine this season.
Miller returns for a fifth season in an Ole Miss uniform after appearing in nearly 300 sets across 83 matches in her career. The Houston, Texas, native is a steady passer in the back row, averaging 1.53 digs per set in her career, and gives the Rebels another weapon at the service line with 38 career aces.
AMONG THE LEAGUE'S BEST
Ahead of her senior season, Ole Miss middle blocker and two-time All-SEC team member Sasha Ratliff was one of fifteen student-athletes selected to the 2023 Volleyball Preseason All-SEC Team. It marks the second straight season that Ratliff has earned preseason praise from the conference. Ratliff is looking to become the second Rebels to ever earn All-Conference honors three times in their career this year.
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.
