After a loss and win last weekend, Ole Miss volleyball will hit the road this Friday as it looks to add a few extra wins to its 16-12 record. The Rebels face off against Tennessee and Kentucky on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
With just three games left in the season, a 7-8 conference record, and the NCAA postseason tournament looming on the horizon, the Rebels are hoping to sharpen their skills against some fierce competition this weekend, according to head coach Steven McRoberts.
“Every time they go out, they don’t think about if we are in the NCAA Tournament or not, they just want to play and want to win,” McRoberts said in a press conference Monday night.
Senior Kate Gibson spikes the ball during a match against Texas A&M on Sunday. The Rebels won 3-1. Photo by Marlee Crawford
Ole Miss will travel to the University of Tennessee on Friday night and hope to start off the weekend with a win. The Volunteers, who have a conference record of 4-11, will present an interesting challenge for McRoberts’ group, but he expects to finish the season strong.
“We have a tough road trip coming up where we are at Tennessee and at Kentucky,” McRoberts said. “We have always had trouble at Tennessee so our mind needs to be on the Friday match first.”
The Rebels will then head to the University of Kentucky for a bout with the Wildcats, who hold a conference record of 13-1, at 1 p.m. Sunday.
“They are in line to win the conference with Florida at this point,” McRoberts said. “They are a program that not only is going to do well in our conference, but coach (Craig) Skinner has them competing this year for a national championship, in my opinion.”
Despite a tough weekend ahead of it, McRoberts is happy with where the team is mentally and the passion and positive attitude the players continue to bring to the court.
“This group, no matter what happens, has fought very well through adversity,” McRoberts said. “I think that is the main reason why here at the end of the year they still play really hard and with a lot of pride for Ole Miss. They are playing for Ole Miss, one another and for their families.”
With the end of the season quickly approaching, the Ole Miss Rebels will say goodbye to two seniors, Lexi Thompson and Kate Gibson.
“We will celebrate our two seniors Lexi Thompson and Kate Gibson, who are rewriting a lot of records in our record book,” McRoberts said. “We sure would love to have a good crowd for them as we send them out — hopefully with a victory over South Carolina.”
