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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
0-2,0-0SEC
FGCU
1-1,0-0ASUN
Volleyball Drops Heartbreaker To FGCU
8/26/2023 | Volleyball
Rebels Fall in Five-Set Thriller
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Ole Miss volleyball and the tournament host FGCU battled for five sets Saturday night inside Alico Arena; however, it was the Eagles who came out on top 3-2 in a thriller.
Anna Bair and Sasha Ratliff led the offense with 15 kills apiece, but it was the errors that proved costly for the Rebels. Transfer Nia Washington, making her first start, also recorded her first collegiate double-double, finishing with 13 kills and 17 digs.
Washington's first kill as a Rebel broke a 3-0 run by FGCU to get Ole Miss on the board in the opening set. Trailing 6-2, the Rebels stormed back to tie the match at 17, but the Eagles hung on to fend off the comeback attemp and pulled away late for a 25-22 set victory.
Ole Miss flipped the script and stormed out to a 7-3 lead in set two. Washington continued to power the offense, helping lead a 7-0 run to make it 19-8. The Eagles didn't go away without a fight. A late 15-2 run made things interesting as FGCU took a 23-21 lead, but Ole Miss remained composed and locked in to take the second set, 25-23.
The third set featured 19 ties as both teams battled for momentum. Florida Gulf Coast managed to build up a slight edge over the Rebels, but Ratliff picked up her 10th kill of the match to make it 14-15. Ole Miss and FGCU continued to go back and forth, needing extra points until the Eagles grabbed the set, 30-28.
Looking to force a fifth set, Shayla Meyer gave the Rebels a spark off the bench. Making her collegiate debut, the redshirt freshman led a 6-1 run to help Ole Miss climb back into the set. Down 20-17, the Rebels caught fire again with an 8-0 run to extend the match.
Trailing by two at the midway point of the fifth set, the Rebels went on a 4-0 run to take a 10-8 lead, but it wouldn't hold as the Eagles home court helped swing the momentum in their favor to win the match.
The Rebels close out their stay at the FGCU Homewood Suites Invitational on Sunday with a neutral site match against Arizona State at 10 a.m. CT.
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB, Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball, and on Instagram at @olemissvb.
