Ole Miss Women’s Volleyball falls to rival Mississippi State at home in five sets.
The Rebels met with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their seventh SEC matchup of the season. The Rebels were handed the loss in a heartbreaker after going ahead 2-0 then falling 2-3. Ole Miss now sits at 13-5 overall and 2-5 in conference play.
The Rebels started out strong in the first set with a kill by junior outside hitter, Anna Bair. The Bulldogs bounced back, taking the lead, 10-6. Ole Miss fought back with a kill and a block from senior middle blocker Aubrey Sultemeier to take the first set 27-25.
To start the second set, Bair earned a kill, giving the Rebels their first point of the second set. The Rebels and Bulldogs traded off points until Ole Miss took the 8-5 lead with sophomore right side hitter Samantha Schnitta serving. State was able to fight back to take the 9-8 lead. Ole Miss fought back to tie the set at 10 and then went on a 3-0 run to go up 13-10. Ole Miss held their lead throughout the remainder of the set, winning 25-16 with a kill by Bair.
Ole Miss began set three with a strong set from Kylee McLaughlin and a kill by Sultemeier. The Rebels took the 5-1 lead with libero Sam Burgio serving. After fighting back, the Bulldogs brought the score to 13-11 to gain the lead. The Rebels went back ahead 14-13 after a strong block by Schnitta. The teams were neck-and-neck until the Bulldogs took the third set 30-28.
In the fourth set, the Rebels took the early lead with Schnitta serving. The Rebels maintained the lead until 20-16. The Bulldogs mounted a comeback on a serving streak to take the lead 23-20. After the seven point streak, the Bulldogs continued their momentum and won the fourth set 25-21.
The fifth set began with the Rebels falling behind to State. The Bulldogs carried the momentum and gained a 7-2 lead. Mississippi State took the fifth and final set, 15-10, securing the win over the Rebels, 3-2.
The Rebels play this Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Missouri currently ranks last in the SEC standings, with a conference record of 1-6.
