TYLER JACKSON I The Daily Mississippian
Kara Morgan hits the ball during a match this season.
Ole Miss will head to the state of Alabama for two matches this weekend, as they will play Alabama (21-8, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) on Friday and Auburn (17-10, 8-7 SEC) on Sunday.
Ole Miss (13-15, 3-12 SEC) enters the weekend on a three-game losing streak despite playing well last weekend. The Rebels led Georgia 2-0 before falling in five sets and lost by a total nine points in three sets to No. 17 Kentucky.
“You have to continue to push even though you’re doing good things,” head coach Joe Getzin said. “There’s still more out there. That’s the difference between winning and losing at that highest level.”
Ole Miss has struggled defensively all year, and in the past five games, have adjusted the playing rotation of their defensive specialists. The Rebels will have a tough task with Alabama, who has the third-best hitting percentage in the SEC at .257.
Ole Miss has allowed conference opponents to hit .272 this season. The Rebels are last in digs per set with 12.55.
Alabama is led by one of the most efficient attackers in the SEC. Freshman Krystal Rivers is third in SEC in hitting percentage at .419. She is also sixth in kills per set with 3.61; she is one of two SEC players that is in the top 10 in both hitting percentage and kills. Freshman Brittany Thomas and sophomore Laura Steiner also average over threes kill per set for Alabama.
Due to Alabama’s efficient hitting, sophomore setter Sierra Wilson is second in the SEC with 11.9 assists per set.
Auburn ranks as an average team in most statistical categories, but their defense has been good this season. Opponents are hitting .188 against Auburn, the fifth best mark in the SEC. Auburn also ranks third in the SEC in digs with 16.45 per set. Senior Sarah Wroblicky is third in the SEC with 4.63 digs per set.
Sophomore Nakeyta Clair has been the best attacking player for Ole Miss this season. She has the most kills per set, 2.54, and has the highest hitting percentage on the team at .304. She also leads the Rebels at the net with 118 blocks.
Senior Kara Morgan has done it all this season. She ranks first on the team in aces, second in digs and fourth in kills. Morgan can continue to move up the record books as her career comes to an end. She is currently tied for second all time in service aces with 85. She needs seven more aces to set the Ole Miss record.
Ole Miss has been one of the better teams in the SEC in service aces. The team ranks third in the SEC with 140 aces. Seven Rebels have at least 14 aces this season. However, Ole Miss has more service errors than aces with 189.
After the weekend, Ole Miss will wrap up the season with a home match against LSU (16-10, 6-8 SEC) on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss volleyball, follow @Tyler_RSR and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
–Tyler Bischoff
tfbischo@go.olemiss.edu
