The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
South Carolina
Volleyball Hosts South Carolina And No. 12 Tennessee
9/28/2023 | Volleyball
Rebels Open Three-Match Homestand
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OLE MISS VS. SOUTH CAROLINA September 29 • 6 p.m. • Oxford, Miss.  |
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OLE MISS VS. #12 TENNESSEE October 1 • 1:30 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. |
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RALLY POINTS
• Ole Miss Volleyball continues SEC play, opening up a three-match homestand on Friday against South Carolina. The Rebels then welcome No. 14 Tennessee to town on Sunday.
• Last week, Ole Miss kicked off conference play with a sweep of Alabama at home and dropped a tough battle with No. 24 Auburn on the road.
• With four straight wins at home, Ole Miss is looking for its best start to a season in Oxford since 2014 (9-0).
• The Rebels have been extremely sound on defense, leading the SEC in opponent hitting percentage (.154) and digs per set (15.3).
• Libero Cammy Niesen leads the SEC with 220 digs on the season (4.58 per set).
• The middle blocker duo of Payton Brgoch and Sasha Ratliff leads the SEC in hitting percentage and ranks top-40 in the nation.
• Anna Bair ranks 34th nationally (sixth in the SEC) among active players with 1,292 career kills.
• Sasha Ratliff, a two-time All-SEC Team member, was one of 15 student-athletes named to the conference's preseason team.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
Ole Miss continues SEC conference play this Friday, hosting the South Carolina Gamecocks for their first of two meetings this year. Led by head coach Tom Mendoza in his sixth season, the Gamecocks will look to snap a three-match skid after they finished the non-conference with a 6-3 record and started SEC play with losses at No. 16 Arkansas and Missouri. South Carolina is led in the front court by junior outside Lauren McCutcheon, who averages 2.64 kills per set, hitting at a .159% clip. Defensively, junior libero Morgan Carter and junior middle blocker Oby Anadi lead the Gamecocks with 4.57 digs per set and 1.41 blocks per set, respectively. Further, both players are ranked second in the SEC in their respective categories and help South Carolina average 2.79 blocks per set as a team, the 13th best mark in the NCAA.
SCOUTING THE LADY VOLS
The Rebels close out the second weekend of SEC play hosting the Tennessee Lady Vols. In her sixth season at the helm, head coach Eve Rackham Watt has elevated the program into the national spotlight. This past week, the Lady Vols recorded their fifth consecutive sweep, including their first over Kentucky since 2016, and moved up to the No. 12 spot in the AVCA/TERAFLEX Division 1 Women's Volleyball Poll. Tennessee brings a strong all around team to Oxford, leading the SEC in hitting percentage and ranking second in opponent hitting percentage. The Lady Vol charge is led offensively by graduate student right side Morgahn Fingall, the reigning SEC player of the week, who leads the team with 4.08 kills per set. Riding the second-longest winning streak in the SEC, the Lady Vols will look to see if they can break down a strong Rebel defense on Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss trails in both series against the Gamecocks and Lady Vols; however, the Rebels have had success against both teams in recent years. Ole Miss has won three of its last four meetings with South Carolina and has taken Tennessee to five sets in three of the last four meetings, including a victory over the Lady Vols in 2019.
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, the Ole Miss defense is averaging 15.29 digs per set through 13 matches this season, the top mark in the SEC. Libero Cammy Niesen plays a large role in the effort, leading all athletes in the conference with her 4.58 digs per set. This, combined with the presence of Sasha Ratliff and Payton Brgoch, who help the Rebels average 2.24 blocks per set, have helped create one of the stingiest defenses in the SEC. Ole Miss is holding its opponents to a mere .154 hitting percentage in 2023, leading the league and ranking 24th 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.
YOU LUV TO SEE IT
Ole Miss picked up its first two wins of the 2023 season in Nashville. The Rebels went 2-0 at the LUV Invitational, topping Lipscomb in a five-set thriller and sweeping Tennessee State the following day. Middle blockers Payton and Brgoch both earned spots on the All-Tournament team after combining for 35 kills on 59 swings for a .508 attacking percentage. Setter Aly Borellis also earned an All-Tourney nod after leading the Rebels to a .300-plus hitting percentage in both matches.
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 9.83 assists per set, sixth in the SEC and 65th 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 279 total blocks in her career, including 123 last season and 52 already in 2023. Ratliff ranks fifth with 330 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 1,292 total kills. A key piece of the attack ever since stepping on campus, Bair has appeared in 113 matches in a Rebel uniform and recorded double-digit kills in 72, including eight this season.
Miller returns for a fifth season in an Ole Miss uniform after appearing in nearly 300 sets across 81 matches in her career. The Houston, Texas, native is a steady passer in the back row, averaging 1.55 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.
