Alexis Lee, far left, readies herself to return the ball to the opposing team. PHOTO BY: MARLEE CRAWFORD
The Ole Miss Volleyball team took on Lipscomb University Wednesday night at the Gillom Sports Center and kept the ball rolling with another win. This is the seventh win in a row for the Rebels.
Being only the second meeting ever between the two teams, the competition appeared to be evenly matched. Both teams attacked hard, each contributing some hard-hit kills and long volleys.
Ole miss head coach Steven McRoberts had previously said Lipscomb would be the best non-conference team that would enter the Ole Miss gym.
“They made the NCAA tournament last year and received an at-large bid,” McRoberts stated before the match. “They have some good wins this year and have a top-50 RPI type program.”
Similar to Ole Miss, Lipscomb returned all six of last year’s NCAA tournament team starters. Last night, however, the Rebel line-up was a little different than normal.
“We were down a little bit with a couple of injuries and sickness this week,” McRoberts said. “I’m proud that the group that was out there was able to fight through some adversity and beat a very good team.”
The Rebels took the first two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-19 before losing their footing in the third.
Lipscomb jumped ahead at the beginning of the third set. Several score changes, a few questionable calls by the referees and some errors followed to give the Bisons the 25-18 victory. However, Ole Miss finished off the night with a 25-21 win in the fourth set.
“This win gives us a lot of confidence heading into the weekend,” McRoberts said after the win. “That’s the type of win we need, and that’s the type of competition we need to be playing to get ready for SEC play.”
The stars of the night included senior Ty Laporte and freshman Kathryn Cather. Laporte had 15 kills and five blocks. Cather followed with 11 kills and two blocks.
Junior Aubrey Edie brought her A-game as well. The setter finished the night with 46 assists, 12 digs and four kills.
Junior Kristen Brashear was a major defensive component and stand-out for the evening as she contributed a career-high 30 digs and three assists.
“I think we did an awesome job. It was really high energy,” Brashear said. “I have to give kudos to my blockers. They were awesome and the set up was great. The touches they were getting off it made my defense a breeze to play.”
The Rebels are now 11-1 on the season with only three non-conference games left to play.
The Rebels will continue on with their season as they face Jacksonville State at noon on Friday, followed by UAB and Mississippi Valley State on Saturday in the “Fight Like Hal” Memorial Tournament at UAB in Birmingham, Alabama.
