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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, November 8
Oxford, Miss.
1 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Oklahoma
Photo by: Ole Miss Athletics
Volleyball Set for First SEC Meeting With Oklahoma
11/7/2024 | Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. – For the first time since their opponents joined the SEC, the Ole Miss volleyball program welcomes Oklahoma to the Gillom Athletic Performance Center for a 1 p.m. CT matchup on Friday.
The Rebels (14-8, 4-6 SEC) return home after a two-match road swing, while the Sooners (10-8, 4-6 SEC) are set to compete in their first match since knocking off No. 9 Texas on Sunday.
Friday's match serves as alumni weekend for the program. Shuttles will be available to pick up alumni beginning at noon outside the parking lot by the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Shuttles will run for up to 45 minutes post-game.
RALLY POINTS
SERIES HISTORY
LAST TIME OUT
The Rebels put up a strong fight against a top-25 opponent, but fell, 3-1 at No. 24 Florida on Sunday afternoon.
Several Rebels shined, led by 19 kills and nine digs from Nia Washington, while Emma Ammerman went in double figures again with 10 kills. Mokihana Tufono added another 42 assists, while Cammy Niesen continued her elite defensive play with another 20-dig performance, which was good for her fifth such match of the season.
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 4.16 kills per set in conference play, compared to her 3.56 kills per set average this season. The New Orleans native has four, 20-kill matches in her last eight 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 8-3 in matches where she hits over .200.
SERVE IT UP
Under head coach Bre Henry, the Rebels are priding themselves on their desire to be a strong service team, with early results showing tremendous improvement.
Shayla Meyer leads the team with a career-high 26 aces so far in 2024, which is just five away from entering the top-five in a single season in the rally scoring era. In additon, Nia Washington reached the 20-ace threshold on Oct. 30 and five additional players have at least 10 or more service aces this season.
The Rebels tie much of their success to the service game and are 13-1 when they record more aces than their opponent so far this season. On the flip side, in all but three matches they have lost, the Rebels have tallied more than 10 service errors. Additionally, they have lost three of the five matches with their highest service error totals.
Those metrics were confirmed further on Oct. 30, when the Rebels held Auburn to zero service aces, which was the first time they have held an SEC opponent to zero aces since November 27, 2021 against Alabama.
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 469 total blocks, first in block assists with 376 and second in solo blocks with 93. 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 (469) has taken the No. 1 spot, while Brgoch sits at No. 3 (424) and just 12 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 1,218 career digs, which ranks sixth all-time in program history. Niesen needs 14 digs to pass Nicole Purcell and move into the top-five.
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 (14-8, 4-6 SEC) return home after a two-match road swing, while the Sooners (10-8, 4-6 SEC) are set to compete in their first match since knocking off No. 9 Texas on Sunday.
Friday's match serves as alumni weekend for the program. Shuttles will be available to pick up alumni beginning at noon outside the parking lot by the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Shuttles will run for up to 45 minutes post-game.
RALLY POINTS
- The Rebels open their final home stretch of the regular season, with four consecutive matches against Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Missouri.
- Junior outside hitter Nia Washington continues to shine in a breakout campaign and has now tallied all four of her career 20-kill matches in SEC play this season. The Rebels are 8-3 in matches where she hits .200 or better.
- Setter Mokihana Tufono continues her torrid pace in her first season in Oxford, with 786 assists and 10.34 assists per set, which ranks third in the SEC. Tufono is seeking to become the first Rebel with 1,000 assists in a season since Kylee McLaughlin in 2021.
- Libero Cammy Niesen now stands at 1,218 career digs, which ranks sixth all-time at Ole Miss.
- The service game has become critical for the Rebels to have success this season, as the team is 13-1 overall when they tally more service aces than their opponent.
SERIES HISTORY
- For the first time since they joined the SEC, Oklahoma meets the Rebels after a 31-year hiatus in the all-time series.
- The Rebels trail 0-2 in the all-time ledger, with the Sooners taking both matchups in 1993. It's the first SEC meeting between the two schools, with the Rebels set to do the same against Texas to end the 2024 regular season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Rebels put up a strong fight against a top-25 opponent, but fell, 3-1 at No. 24 Florida on Sunday afternoon.
Several Rebels shined, led by 19 kills and nine digs from Nia Washington, while Emma Ammerman went in double figures again with 10 kills. Mokihana Tufono added another 42 assists, while Cammy Niesen continued her elite defensive play with another 20-dig performance, which was good for her fifth such match of the season.
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 4.16 kills per set in conference play, compared to her 3.56 kills per set average this season. The New Orleans native has four, 20-kill matches in her last eight 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 8-3 in matches where she hits over .200.
SERVE IT UP
Under head coach Bre Henry, the Rebels are priding themselves on their desire to be a strong service team, with early results showing tremendous improvement.
Shayla Meyer leads the team with a career-high 26 aces so far in 2024, which is just five away from entering the top-five in a single season in the rally scoring era. In additon, Nia Washington reached the 20-ace threshold on Oct. 30 and five additional players have at least 10 or more service aces this season.
The Rebels tie much of their success to the service game and are 13-1 when they record more aces than their opponent so far this season. On the flip side, in all but three matches they have lost, the Rebels have tallied more than 10 service errors. Additionally, they have lost three of the five matches with their highest service error totals.
Those metrics were confirmed further on Oct. 30, when the Rebels held Auburn to zero service aces, which was the first time they have held an SEC opponent to zero aces since November 27, 2021 against Alabama.
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 469 total blocks, first in block assists with 376 and second in solo blocks with 93. 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 (469) has taken the No. 1 spot, while Brgoch sits at No. 3 (424) and just 12 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 1,218 career digs, which ranks sixth all-time in program history. Niesen needs 14 digs to pass Nicole Purcell and move into the top-five.
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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