Caleb HarrisOle Miss volleyball fell to No.17 Illinois Sunday afternoon at home.
This was the team’s second straight loss against a ranked opponent. The Rebels made some costly errors early on, which had them down 7-3.
Ole Miss saw the deficit grow to as many as six points, and they could not rally back. Ole Miss dropped the first set with a final score of 25-16.
In the second set, Ole Miss established some momentum after going up against the Fighting Illini 21-19, thanks to a 6-1 run.
However, Illinois went on a 5-1 run to hold off the Rebels and take set two 26-24. It was imperative for Ole Miss to take set three to try to stay in the match, but the Fighting Illini weren’t going to give the Rebels anything. They would have to earn it.
With all of the pressure on Ole Miss, the Rebs took a 10-5 lead after a 3-0 run to give them a much needed boost in the matchup. Key players for Ole Miss came up huge in a critical moment in the game.
Senior Anna Bair led the team to an eight point lead, pushing the Rebels to a score of 23-15. Bair also had seven kills during the stretch.
Illinois tried to mount a comeback to take the set, but the Rebel offense was too hot to be cooled off. Ole Miss took set three with a final score of 25-18, forcing a fourth set.
A very competitive set four saw both teams going back and forth, with neither team being able to create any separation from the other. Errors made by Ole Miss allowed Illinois to go on a 5-0 run to break the tie and win the set 25-20, winning the match with a final score of 3-1 out of four sets.
Ole Miss 0-2 will now turn its attention to the Nebraska Invitational, where the Rebs will face Loyola Marymount University on Sep. 2 and the No.1 team in the country, Nebraska, on Sept. 3. Both games will be in Lincoln, Neb., with call times of 7 p.m. and 6 p.m. CDT, respectively.
