Volleyball Continues Road Swing at Northern Colorado

			NORTHERN COLORADO & RIDER Sept. 5-7 Greeley, Colo. Bank of Colorado Arena
Ole Miss Notes (PDF) • SEC Notes (PDF)

Thursday, Sept. 5 at Northern Colorado 12 p.m. CT	Friday, Sept. 6 vs. Rider 12 p.m. CT	Saturday, Sept. 7 at Northern Colorado 7 p.m. CT
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GREELEY, Colo. – Fresh off a pair of wins to open the season, Ole Miss volleyball heads west to face Northern Colorado and Rider at the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, Colorado.

The Rebels will face the Bears to open the slate on Thursday at 12 p.m. CT. From there, the Rebels will face the Broncos on Friday at 12 p.m. CT and the Bears for a second time on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.

RALLY POINTS

Ole Miss volleyball will continue non-conference play by traveling to Greeley, Colorado, September 5-7 to take on Northern Colorado and Rider.
Middle blocker Payton Brgoch tallied a career-high .800 hitting percentage against Saint Louis this past Friday, securing the highest clip in a match in program history.
Setter Mokihana Tufono was dishing out assists on Saturday against SEMO, notching her career-high with 46 and surpassing 300 total in her career.
The Rebels rank first in the SEC and fifth nationally in opponent hitting percentage, holding their competitors on average to a .071 hitting clip.
Sasha 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.
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.

SERIES HISTORY

Ole Miss will play two against Northern Colorado and hold a 1-0 series lead in the all-time ledger. The lone meeting in the series came in 2017, where the Rebels earned a 3-0 win in Greeley.
Ole Miss will meet Rider for the first time in program history on Friday. The Rebels are 2-0 all-time against current members of the MAAC.

LAST TIME OUT
Ole Miss turned in a 2-1 effort at the A-State Invitational, earning a 3-0 win over Saint Louis and 3-1 decision over SEMO as part of the weekend's efforts.

Payton Brgoch and Nia Washington opened their 2024 campaigns with a bang, as both were tabbed to the All-Tournament team.

Brgoch picked up right where she left off in 2023 with a big showing at the season-opening event, tallying 20 kills and a .300 hitting percentage, while adding an SEC-leading 18 blocks. The Parker, Colorado, native entered the top-10 all-time at Ole Miss in solo blocks and now sits at 53 in her career.

Washington shined for the Rebels over three games, matching Emma Ammerman for team-best 31 kills and a 2.82 kill per set ratio over three games. The New Orleans, Louisiana, native tallied back-to-back double-doubles against Arkansas State and SEMO, including a season-best 13 kills and 11 digs against the hosts.

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, Ga., 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 406 total blocks, second in block assists with 326 and third in solo blocks with 80. 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 (406) and Brgoch at No. 5 (356).

Ratliff needs 30 more blocks to set the all-time record held by Nakeyta Clair (2012-15), while Brgoch is just 28 away from moving into fourth all-time.

Cammy Niesen also has her eyes on the top-10 all-time at Ole Miss, standing at 904 career digs, which is just 74 away from cracking the ledger.

LEADING THE PACK
Head coach Bre Henry will be bolstered by the most senior-laden lineup of her tenure at Ole Miss and one of the largest senior groups in recent memory.

The Rebels feature seven seniors in 2024, which is the team's largest senior class since at least 2010. The returners have allowed coach Henry's efforts on setting team culture to set in, during her second full season at the helm and third overall.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Emma Ammerman

Payton Brgoch

Sommer Daniel

Julia Dyess

Carson Eickenloff

Ragan Kinard

Shayla Meyer

Vivian Miller

Cammy Niesen

Sasha Ratliff

Mokihana Tufono

Nia Washington

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