SportsDeskOle Miss and head volleyball coach Steven McRoberts have agreed to part ways according to a release from the university.
“Coach McRoberts represented Ole Miss with class and integrity over the past six years,” Carter said in a statement. “He made tremendous contributions to our program and to the lives of our student-athletes, and we wish him the best as he moves forward.”
McRoberts’ team finished the 2019 season 14-15 after a 12-game losing streak. The Rebels were rolling with a 14-game win streak heading through the middle of the SEC slate, but lost all rhythm in the last third of the season.
“I’m extremely grateful for the six years that I’ve had at Ole Miss,” McRoberts said. “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching some great young ladies during that time. I’m thankful for my staff and all the hard work that they’ve put into this program. I’m sorry that I couldn’t get the program up to the level it needed to be. Thank you to Lynnette and Ross for giving me this opportunity. I know that God has a greater plan for me. My family and I love Oxford and Ole Miss, and we will always have fond memories of being here.”
McRoberts was hired in January 2014 and has led the Rebels to an 111-82 record and a postseason appearance in the NIVC Championship in 2017. He was the coach at Lubbock Christian, Central Arkansas and Tulsa before he was hired at Ole Miss.
The move is yet another major decision made by new athletics director Keith Carter, who gained the permanent position on Nov. 22. Carter moved to fire third-year head football coach Matt Luke on Sunday, and will add a volleyball coach search to the docket this winter.
Ole Miss head volleyball coach Steven McRoberts have agreed to part ways, according to an announcement from the university.
This comes at a time when McRoberts’ team finished the 2019 season with a 14-15 record after a 12-game losing streak. The Rebels were rolling with a 14-game win streak heading through the middle of the SEC slate but lost all rhythm during the last third of the season.
Even though the record was not what they had hoped, many players had record-breaking seasons. The Rebels appeared in top-10 conference individual leader rankings in almost every statistical category, including Nicole Purcell leading the SEC in digs this season.
Two seniors are leaving the program atop the Ole Miss record books. Emily Stroup finished her last season as a Rebel as the program’s all-time rally-scoring leader. Purcell recorded 555 digs this season, an Ole Miss rally-scoring best.
“Coach McRoberts represented Ole Miss with class and integrity over the past six years,” Keith Carter, the athletics director, said in a statement. “He made tremendous contributions to our program and to the lives of our student-athletes, and we wish him the best as he moves forward.”
McRoberts was hired in January 2014, and he led the Rebels to an 111-82 record and a postseason appearance in the NIVC Championship in 2017. He coached at Lubbock Christian, Central Arkansas and Tulsa before he was hired at Ole Miss.
“I’m extremely grateful for the six years that I’ve had at Ole Miss,” McRoberts said. “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching some great young ladies during that time. I’m thankful for my staff and all the hard work that they’ve put into this program. I’m sorry that I couldn’t get the program up to the level it needed to be. Thank you to Lynnette and Ross for giving me this opportunity. I know that God has a greater plan for me. My family and I love Oxford and Ole Miss, and we will always have fond memories of being here.”
The move is another major decision made by Carter, who gained the permanent AD position on Nov. 22. Carter fired third-year head football coach Matt Luke on Sunday and will add a volleyball coach search to the docket this winter.
Ole Miss sat at the bottom of the SEC in the seasons before McRoberts’ arrival on campus. McRoberts led the Rebels to a winning record in his first four seasons with the team, including a postseason appearance in 2017. He has also led the Rebels to 12 regular season tournament titles and set the record for most consecutive victories in Ole Miss history with 14 straight wins during the 2014 and 2019 seasons.
McRoberts’ players have appeared on All-SEC Teams four times and have been SEC Player of the Week 10 times. He also had two players reach the 1,000/1,000 club, with over 1,000 kills and digs throughout their time in a Rebel uniform. Several players set numerous Ole Miss individual records under his direction.
Ole Miss finished this season at 14-15 overall, 6-12 in conference play, their biggest win coming against No. 22 Missouri in Columbia.
