After finishing in second place in each of its first three tournaments this season, the Ole Miss Lady Rebel volleyball team captured its first tournament championship this weekend in the Rebel Classic in Oxford. The Rebel Classic included Southern Miss, Tennessee-Chattanooga and Louisiana-Lafayette.
The Lady Rebels opened up tournament play against instate foe Southern Miss. Ole Miss quickly dispatched the Golden Eagles in front of 606 fans at the Gillom Center, dropping them in three straight sets 25-19, 25-19 and 25-15.
“We keep talking about our side of the net and cleaning it up, and we’re putting up some pretty good numbers,” head coach Joe Getzin said.
Sophomore Nakeyta Clair led the team with 12 kills and an unprecedented .733 percent kill ratio throughout the three sets. Freshman Aubrey Edie led the team with 36 assists.
The following day the Lady Rebels took on the Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs, and Ole Miss easily won the first set 25-18. After falling behind early in the second set, Ole Miss rallied to take the bout 25-20. In the third set, there were four ties and two lead changes, as the Lady Rebels fought for a hard earned 25-18 victory.
In the tournament finale against Louisiana-Lafayette, Ole Miss hit at a strong .480 hitting percentage in the first set, but couldn’t stop the Louisiana attack and lost 25-20. With the second set tied at 15, Ole Miss stepped on the gas and went on an 8-0 run to take a commanding 23-15 lead before winning 25-19. Senior outside hitter Kara Morgan led the Rebel attack in the second set with a team-high five kills.
After another back-and-forth start to begin the third set, Ole Miss went on a 14-4 run to take a 23-12 lead and win the set 25-15. Ole Miss used a pair of 3-0 runs, followed by a 6-1 run to take control of the fourth set and win 25-14.
“We did a great job of adjusting and putting some pressure back on them,” Getzin said. “Lafayette played a great match in the first set, and we got a little frustrated with that. We then settled down and started putting some pressure on them and things started going our way.”
Clair, an SEC All-Freshman selection last year, won tournament MVP honors, while freshmen Crow and Edie were each named to the all-tournament team. Edie was responsible for 102 of the team’s 127 assists this weekend.
“Aubrey is gaining confidence each match she plays in; it’s great to see we’ve had great set distribution,” Getzin said.
The Rebels finished nonconference play with a 10-3 record and continue their five-match home stand, as they open Southeastern Conference play next weekend against Arkansas on Friday and Florida on Sunday.
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