Volleyball Falls To Florida In Three Sets

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss battled with one of the nations and SEC’s top teams in Florida but fell in straight sets Friday night at the Gillom Center.

The Rebels (11-16, 7-10) did their best to hang with Florida (22-5, 14-3 SEC), but the offensive firepower was too much. The Gators hit at a .409 clip, giving the Ole Miss defense fits. Vivian Miller was a bright spot for the Rebels, finishing with nine kills on 18 total swings.

After Florida opened the match with a dominant 7-2 run, Ole Miss finally settled into the match. It was a complete team effort as the Rebels battled back within one point of the Gators at 14-15, forcing UF to talk things over. A quick 3-0 run out of the break restored the Florida lead, and they carried it the remained of the set, claiming the first 25-20.

Ole Miss came out with fiery energy to start the second set, taking an early 5-2 lead on a kill from Anna Bair. The Rebels continued to go to work on the attack, using a 4-0 run to take an 11-7 lead into a Florida timeout. The Gators fought back to tie things up at 18 and then take the lead on an attacking error, but Katie Corelli and the Rebs managed to punch right back to stay within striking distance. A 3-0 scoring burst from Florida proved to be the difference as the Gators managed to hang on to a one-point advantage and hold off the Rebels with a 25-23 set victory.

Both teams went back and forth to begin the third set. Ole Miss and Florida traded points tied at 11 until a 7-2 run broke things open. The Rebels pulled back within four points at 16-20, but Florida closed out the match with a 5-0 run.

The Rebels are back in action tomorrow…