The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, September 13
Oxford, Miss.
6 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Drake
Photo by: Ole Miss Athletics
Volleyball Opens Home Slate, Hosts Ole Miss Invitational
9/12/2024 | Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. – For the first time in the 2024 regular season, the Ole Miss volleyball program is back at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center to host the Ole Miss Invitational from Friday, Sept. 13 to Sunday, Sept. 15.
The Rebels will open against Drake on Friday at 6 p.m. CT, before facing Florida Gulf Coast at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. The invitational ends with the Rebels hosting Little Rock on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Ole Miss recorded their second 2-1 effort at an early season tournament, earning wins over Rider and Northern Colorado.
Mokihana Tufono shined all weekend, earning UNC Invitational Most Valuable Player honors, tallying 113 assists over three matches, while Cammy Niesen and Sasha Ratliff were tabbed to the All-Tournament Team alongside Tufono.
The Rebels played some of their best volleyball in the final two contests, as the Rebels took home a pair of 3-0 decisions, with the most impressive coming against the hosts and 2023 NIVC qualifiers. Emma Ammerman led the way in the win with 11 kills, while the team matched a season-high with nine service aces.
BACK FOR MORE
After strong senior campaigns in 2023, Payton Brgoch, Sommer Daniel and Sasha Ratliff have all returned for their fifth season as a Rebel, with eyes on helping Ole Miss reach new heights in 2024.
Brgoch and Ratliff form a dynamic duo at the net, ranking first and second on the team in blocks, with 111 and 104, respectively in 2023. Ratliff led the Rebels with 249 kills, while Brgoch was close behind with 221 kills in third on the team.
Ratliff was recently named to the SEC's preseason team, as of 18 student-athletes in the conference to be selected. The Atlanta, Georgia, native is seeking to become the second-ever Rebel to earn three All-Conference honors in their career.
Daniel also returns to Mississippi for a third season in Oxford and fifth overall, after tallying a career-high 304 assists, along with 74 digs in 2023. The Tipton, Iowa native will bring continued leadership for the setter corps of Mokihana Tufono and Carson Eickenloff.
ONE YEAR STRONGER
Following strong campaigns in 2023, the Rebels will see the return of several additional impact players in 2024.
Julia Dyess proved to be a key player for the Rebels last season, tallying 222 kills and 2.41 kills per set. Dyess will be joined by Shayla Meyer (102 kills and 119 digs), Vivian Miller (150 kills and a team-high 2.46 kills per set) and Nia Washington (146 kills and 30 blocks).
In addition to the returns of Brgoch and Ratliff, the Rebels return 81.1 percent of the team's kills from 2023 and feature a solid core of returning players.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Blocking runs in the Ratliff family. Over her career, Ole Miss middle blocker Sasha Ratliff has quickly climbed into the top-10 in the record books, ranking second all-time in the rally scoring era with 419 total blocks, second in block assists with 336 and second in solo blocks with 83. 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.
NEW BLOOD
Despite several returning players, head coach Bre Henry has strengthened the core of the roster with multiple transfers.
Setter Mokihana Tufono joins the Rebels via UCLA, where she appeared in 46 matches and tallied 134 sets. The Aiea, Hawaii, native will have two seasons of eligibility remaining and factors into the mix at the setter position in 2024. Notably, Tufono tied the UCLA single-match record for service aces with eight at Oregon (Nov. 18, 2022).
Emma Ammerman and Ragan Kinard also join the program after transferring in via Pepperdine and South Florida, respectively. Ammerman has played in nearly 100 matches in her time in Malibu, tallying 444 kills and averaging 1.63 per set on a .212 hitting percentage. Kinard played in nearly 50 matches in her time at South Florida and helped the Bulls finish first in the American in 2023.
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), with Ratliff currently standing at No. 2 (419) and Brgoch at No. 5 (363).
Ratliff needs 17 more blocks to set the all-time record held by Nakeyta Clair (2012-15), while Brgoch is just 21 away from moving into fourth all-time.
Cammy Niesen also has her eyes on the top-10 all-time at Ole Miss, standing at 948 career digs, which is just 31 away from cracking the ledger.
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 will open against Drake on Friday at 6 p.m. CT, before facing Florida Gulf Coast at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. The invitational ends with the Rebels hosting Little Rock on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
- FGCU vs. Drake – Friday, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m.
- Ole Miss vs. Drake – Friday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m.
- Little Rock vs. FGCU – Saturday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m.
- Drake vs. Little Rock – Saturday, Sept. 14 at 2:30 p.m.
- Ole Miss vs. FGCU – Saturday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m.
- Ole Miss vs. Little Rock – Sunday, Sept. 15 at 2 p.m.
- Ole Miss volleyball makes the long-awaited return to the Gillom Athletics Performance Center for the annual Ole Miss Invitational.
- Sasha Ratliff has a chance at making history at home, standing just 17 blocks away from taking sole possession of first on the Rebels all-time blocks leaderboard in the rally scoring era.
- Ratliff, a two-time All-SEC Team member, was one of 18 student-athletes named to the conference's preseason team. She looks to become the second-ever Rebel to earn three All-Conference nods in her career.
- Setter Mokihana Tufono continues to shine, as she was named the UNC Invitational's Most Valuable Player. Tufono recorded 113 assists across the three matches.
- The Rebels rank first in the SEC and 10th nationally in opponent hitting percentage, holding their competitors on average to a .120 hitting clip.
- Four years playing collegiate volleyball just wasn't enough for Payton Brgoch, Sommer Daniel and Sasha Ratliff, who chose to utilize their extra year of eligibility and return for a fifth season.
- Ole Miss will face Florida Gulf Coast for the second time and are looking to answer back, after a narrow 3-2 loss in Fort Myers in 2023. Sasha Ratliff shined in last season's clash, tallying 15 kills on a .522 hitting percentage.
- Ole Miss resumes their all-time series against Little Rock and hold a 5-2 advantage in the ledger. The Rebels have won the last three matchups, including a 3-0 win in 2019.
- Ole Miss will face Drake for the first time in program history on Friday.
Ole Miss recorded their second 2-1 effort at an early season tournament, earning wins over Rider and Northern Colorado.
Mokihana Tufono shined all weekend, earning UNC Invitational Most Valuable Player honors, tallying 113 assists over three matches, while Cammy Niesen and Sasha Ratliff were tabbed to the All-Tournament Team alongside Tufono.
The Rebels played some of their best volleyball in the final two contests, as the Rebels took home a pair of 3-0 decisions, with the most impressive coming against the hosts and 2023 NIVC qualifiers. Emma Ammerman led the way in the win with 11 kills, while the team matched a season-high with nine service aces.
BACK FOR MORE
After strong senior campaigns in 2023, Payton Brgoch, Sommer Daniel and Sasha Ratliff have all returned for their fifth season as a Rebel, with eyes on helping Ole Miss reach new heights in 2024.
Brgoch and Ratliff form a dynamic duo at the net, ranking first and second on the team in blocks, with 111 and 104, respectively in 2023. Ratliff led the Rebels with 249 kills, while Brgoch was close behind with 221 kills in third on the team.
Ratliff was recently named to the SEC's preseason team, as of 18 student-athletes in the conference to be selected. The Atlanta, Georgia, native is seeking to become the second-ever Rebel to earn three All-Conference honors in their career.
Daniel also returns to Mississippi for a third season in Oxford and fifth overall, after tallying a career-high 304 assists, along with 74 digs in 2023. The Tipton, Iowa native will bring continued leadership for the setter corps of Mokihana Tufono and Carson Eickenloff.
ONE YEAR STRONGER
Following strong campaigns in 2023, the Rebels will see the return of several additional impact players in 2024.
Julia Dyess proved to be a key player for the Rebels last season, tallying 222 kills and 2.41 kills per set. Dyess will be joined by Shayla Meyer (102 kills and 119 digs), Vivian Miller (150 kills and a team-high 2.46 kills per set) and Nia Washington (146 kills and 30 blocks).
In addition to the returns of Brgoch and Ratliff, the Rebels return 81.1 percent of the team's kills from 2023 and feature a solid core of returning players.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Blocking runs in the Ratliff family. Over her career, Ole Miss middle blocker Sasha Ratliff has quickly climbed into the top-10 in the record books, ranking second all-time in the rally scoring era with 419 total blocks, second in block assists with 336 and second in solo blocks with 83. 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.
NEW BLOOD
Despite several returning players, head coach Bre Henry has strengthened the core of the roster with multiple transfers.
Setter Mokihana Tufono joins the Rebels via UCLA, where she appeared in 46 matches and tallied 134 sets. The Aiea, Hawaii, native will have two seasons of eligibility remaining and factors into the mix at the setter position in 2024. Notably, Tufono tied the UCLA single-match record for service aces with eight at Oregon (Nov. 18, 2022).
Emma Ammerman and Ragan Kinard also join the program after transferring in via Pepperdine and South Florida, respectively. Ammerman has played in nearly 100 matches in her time in Malibu, tallying 444 kills and averaging 1.63 per set on a .212 hitting percentage. Kinard played in nearly 50 matches in her time at South Florida and helped the Bulls finish first in the American in 2023.
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), with Ratliff currently standing at No. 2 (419) and Brgoch at No. 5 (363).
Ratliff needs 17 more blocks to set the all-time record held by Nakeyta Clair (2012-15), while Brgoch is just 21 away from moving into fourth all-time.
Cammy Niesen also has her eyes on the top-10 all-time at Ole Miss, standing at 948 career digs, which is just 31 away from cracking the ledger.
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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