STARKVILLE, Miss. – Playing its fifth consecutive match on the road, Ole Miss volleyball fell in a five-set battle with in-state rival Mississippi State on Sunday inside the Newell-Grissom Building.
The Rebels (8-13, 2-8 SEC), who took an early lead, were unable to fend off a Bulldog (10-9, 3-6 SEC) comeback in a hostile environment. Sasha Ratliff led all athletes in the match with 18 kills on a .593 hitting percentage. Vivian Miller followed with 13, recording her third straight match with double-digit kills.
Trailing 11-13 early in the opening set, Miller sparked a 10-0 run through the media break and a Bulldog timeout to make it 21-13. Mississippi State managed to side out eventually; however, the Rebels kept MSU off the scoreboard the remainder of the way, winning the first set 25-14.
Mississippi State responded in the second, returning the favor. The Bulldogs used two big runs to open up a double-digit lead on Ole Miss. Twelve Rebel errors aided MSU in the set, as Mississippi State leveled the match with a 25-12 set victory.
Even at one set apiece, both teams locked in and found a groove in the third. The Ole Miss offense found its rhythm as Aly Borellis led the Rebels to a .323 clip in the set and fed Ratliff and Miller to five kills each. Mississippi State erased a small four-point deficit, tying the set at 12 and briefly taking a one-point lead before Nia Washington gave Ole Miss a spark off the bench. The sophomore right side helped the Rebels put together a 5-1 scoring run and retake control of the set. Firmly in control, Ole Miss never let its lead slip below three, taking the third set…
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