The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, October 18
Columbia, S.C.
6 PM
Ole Miss
at
South Carolina
Photo by: Ole Miss Athletics
Volleyball Makes Trip to South Carolina
10/17/2024 | Volleyball
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Ole Miss volleyball program is set for the second of three consecutive road matches, facing South Carolina on Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
The Rebels (12-5, 2-3 SEC) are in search of their first SEC road win of the season, as they matchup with the Gamecocks (10-5, 1-3 SEC), who are coming off a win at then No. 19 Florida.
RALLY POINTS
SERIES HISTORY
LAST TIME OUT
The Rebels got 20-kill performances from both Shayla Meyer and Nia Washington, but fell, 3-1 at Georgia on Sunday.
The duo paced the offense who attempted to rally after falling in a 2-0 deficit. After winning the third set, the Rebels built an 8-4 lead in the fourth set, but could not hang on to force a fifth.
RISING STAR
Nia Washington is in the midst of a breakout junior season and her play has elevated the Rebels to new heights, as they've surged past last season's win total by early October.
Washington has become a lethal hitter in recent weeks, averaging 4.53 kills per set in conference play, compared to her 3.49 kills per set average this season. The New Orleans native has three, 20-kill matches in her last four contests and has already blown past all of her previous career-highs across numerous categories so far.
Her play has gained her recognition on the national scale, as she tallied 20 kills in a win against Tennessee and 28 kills in a win against LSU, before being named to NCAA Volleyball's "Rotation of the Week". The Rebels are now 8-1 in matches where she hits over .200.
MOKI MAGIC
After tallying 104 assists over two, four-set SEC wins against Tennessee and LSU, Mokihana Tufono earned her first SEC Setter of the Week honors on October 7.
Tufono opened the week with a career-high 54 assists in the win over Tennessee, while adding eight digs and two blocks. From there, Tufono added another 50 assists and 11 digs in the win over LSU, while also matching a career-best with five total blocks. Her efforts were particularly critical in helping Nia Washington rise to new heights, as Washington also set career-highs in back-to-back matches with 20 and 28 kills.
NIE-FENSE
Following a standout defensive performance in Houston, Cammy Niesen earned SEC weekly honors for the first time since 2022, as the junior libero was named the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on September 23.
Niesen tallied 58 digs and 13 assists, while recording the 1,000th dig of her career during her award-winning weekend. Niesen was particularly impactful in the five-set win over Houston, with 19 digs and six assists, as well as notching 21 digs in the win over Texas A&M Commerce. With performances of 20 digs (Arkansas), 17 digs (Tennessee), 17 (LSU) and 15 (Texas A&M), Niesen tallied seven consecutive matches of 15 or more digs for the first time in her career.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Blocking runs in the Ratliff family. In four years, Ole Miss middle blocker Sasha Ratliff has established herself as one of the top blockers in program history, ranking first all-time in the rally scoring era with 446 total blocks, first in block assists with 357 and second in solo blocks with 89. A dominant force at the net, Ratliff has tallied 100-plus blocks in each of her last three seasons and is looking to do it a fourth straight time as she enters her fifth year as a Rebel. Her knack for blocking comes from her father, Theo, who was a shot blocker too. One of basketball's best, he ranks 20th in NBA history with nearly 2,000 blocks in his 16-year career.
CLIMBING THE LADDER
Several Rebels are poised to etch their names in the all-time record books in 2024 across multiple different metrics.
Sasha Ratliff and Payton Brgoch are seeking to end their careers at No. 1 and No. 2 on the all-time blocks list (post rally scoring). Ratliff (441) has taken the No. 1 spot, while Brgoch sits at No. 3 (404) and just 32 blocks away from passing Nakeyta Clair (435) for No. 2.
Additionally, Ratliff and Brgoch also rank 3rd and 5th respectively on the combined blocks list. Ratliff sits behind Genevieve Shy (1993-96 - 502 blocks) and Julie Link (1983-86 - 484 blocks), who both competed during the sideout scoring era.
Junior libero Cammy Niesen continues to rewrite the record books on the defensive side by rising up the top-10 all-time in the rally scoring era.
Niesen stands at 1,139 career digs, which ranks seventh all-time in the rally scoring era and 10th all-time between both eras. Niesen is just 26 digs away from passing Elena Garcia and moving into sixth in the rally scoring era and ninth on the combined ledger.
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Volleyball on X at @OleMissVB, on Instagram at @olemissvb and on Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball. See exclusive photo and video content from behind the scenes and connect in real time with everything Ole Miss.
The Rebels (12-5, 2-3 SEC) are in search of their first SEC road win of the season, as they matchup with the Gamecocks (10-5, 1-3 SEC), who are coming off a win at then No. 19 Florida.
RALLY POINTS
- The Rebels enter a critical portion of their road schedule, with back-to-back matches against two of the bottom four teams (South Carolina & Mississippi State) in the SEC standings. The matches are lead-ins before potential ranked opponents in Kentucky, Auburn and Florida in the next three.
- Sasha Ratliff made history against LSU, taking sole possession of first on the Rebels all-time total blocks leaderboard in the rally scoring era. She now stands 14 solo blocks away from completing the trio (solo, assists and total blocks).
- Ratliff is also on the chase for 1,000 kills in her career, standing at 983 in her career. Ratliff ranks 10th all-time at Ole Miss in kills in the rally scoring era.
- Libero Cammy Niesen now stands at 1,139 career digs, which ranks seventh all-time in the rally scoring era and 10th all-time between both eras.
- Both teams enter the weekend with top-40 RPI's with each program looking for another signature win.
SERIES HISTORY
- Ole Miss trails 22-30 in the all-time series against the Gamecocks, in one of the closest all-time ledgers against an SEC opponent.
- The Rebels have won the last three matchups in Oxford, while South Carolina has won their last two in Columbia. Julia Dyess was the key performer over both matchups in 2023, leading the team with 19 and 10 kills in both matches. Last year's win over South Carolina was notable, as Aly Borellis recorded the second-highest assist total in program history with 62.
LAST TIME OUT
The Rebels got 20-kill performances from both Shayla Meyer and Nia Washington, but fell, 3-1 at Georgia on Sunday.
The duo paced the offense who attempted to rally after falling in a 2-0 deficit. After winning the third set, the Rebels built an 8-4 lead in the fourth set, but could not hang on to force a fifth.
RISING STAR
Nia Washington is in the midst of a breakout junior season and her play has elevated the Rebels to new heights, as they've surged past last season's win total by early October.
Washington has become a lethal hitter in recent weeks, averaging 4.53 kills per set in conference play, compared to her 3.49 kills per set average this season. The New Orleans native has three, 20-kill matches in her last four contests and has already blown past all of her previous career-highs across numerous categories so far.
Her play has gained her recognition on the national scale, as she tallied 20 kills in a win against Tennessee and 28 kills in a win against LSU, before being named to NCAA Volleyball's "Rotation of the Week". The Rebels are now 8-1 in matches where she hits over .200.
MOKI MAGIC
After tallying 104 assists over two, four-set SEC wins against Tennessee and LSU, Mokihana Tufono earned her first SEC Setter of the Week honors on October 7.
Tufono opened the week with a career-high 54 assists in the win over Tennessee, while adding eight digs and two blocks. From there, Tufono added another 50 assists and 11 digs in the win over LSU, while also matching a career-best with five total blocks. Her efforts were particularly critical in helping Nia Washington rise to new heights, as Washington also set career-highs in back-to-back matches with 20 and 28 kills.
NIE-FENSE
Following a standout defensive performance in Houston, Cammy Niesen earned SEC weekly honors for the first time since 2022, as the junior libero was named the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on September 23.
Niesen tallied 58 digs and 13 assists, while recording the 1,000th dig of her career during her award-winning weekend. Niesen was particularly impactful in the five-set win over Houston, with 19 digs and six assists, as well as notching 21 digs in the win over Texas A&M Commerce. With performances of 20 digs (Arkansas), 17 digs (Tennessee), 17 (LSU) and 15 (Texas A&M), Niesen tallied seven consecutive matches of 15 or more digs for the first time in her career.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Blocking runs in the Ratliff family. In four years, Ole Miss middle blocker Sasha Ratliff has established herself as one of the top blockers in program history, ranking first all-time in the rally scoring era with 446 total blocks, first in block assists with 357 and second in solo blocks with 89. A dominant force at the net, Ratliff has tallied 100-plus blocks in each of her last three seasons and is looking to do it a fourth straight time as she enters her fifth year as a Rebel. Her knack for blocking comes from her father, Theo, who was a shot blocker too. One of basketball's best, he ranks 20th in NBA history with nearly 2,000 blocks in his 16-year career.
CLIMBING THE LADDER
Several Rebels are poised to etch their names in the all-time record books in 2024 across multiple different metrics.
Sasha Ratliff and Payton Brgoch are seeking to end their careers at No. 1 and No. 2 on the all-time blocks list (post rally scoring). Ratliff (441) has taken the No. 1 spot, while Brgoch sits at No. 3 (404) and just 32 blocks away from passing Nakeyta Clair (435) for No. 2.
Additionally, Ratliff and Brgoch also rank 3rd and 5th respectively on the combined blocks list. Ratliff sits behind Genevieve Shy (1993-96 - 502 blocks) and Julie Link (1983-86 - 484 blocks), who both competed during the sideout scoring era.
Junior libero Cammy Niesen continues to rewrite the record books on the defensive side by rising up the top-10 all-time in the rally scoring era.
Niesen stands at 1,139 career digs, which ranks seventh all-time in the rally scoring era and 10th all-time between both eras. Niesen is just 26 digs away from passing Elena Garcia and moving into sixth in the rally scoring era and ninth on the combined ledger.
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Volleyball on X at @OleMissVB, on Instagram at @olemissvb and on Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball. See exclusive photo and video content from behind the scenes and connect in real time with everything Ole Miss.
Players Mentioned
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