Volleyball Hits Road For Husker Invitational

RALLY POINTS

• Ole Miss volleyball hits the road for the first time in 2022, traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Husker Invitational.

• Head coach Kayla Banwarth return’s to her alma mater this weekend. She helped lead the Huskers to the 2008 NCAA Final Four in 2008 and three Big 12 titles.

• Ole Miss took then #9 Georgia Tech and #17 Illinois both to four sets last weekend at the Ole Miss Invitational. The Rebels put up 24 points or more in each set against the Yellow Jackets.

• Anna Bair and Sasha Ratliff picked up All-Tournament honors last weekend.

• The Rebels are coming off one of their best seasons in school history, notching its first 20-win regular season since 2013 and finishing tied for fifth in the SEC with 10 conference victories.

• Middle blocker Sasha Ratliff was one of 15 student-athletes named to the Preseason All-SEC Team. She earned all-conference honors last year after a breakout sophomore campaign.

• The Rebels return 12 members from last season’s NCAA Tournament team, including leading attacker and AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention outside hitter Anna Bair.

• In year two, Kayla Banwarth and the Rebels saw a 65 percent increase in winning percentage, the best turnaround in Division I Volleyball.

SCOUTING THE FIELD

Coached by Aaron Mansfield leads the LMU Lions in his sixth season as head coach of the program. During his tenure, LMU boasts a 77-60 mark, including a 1-2 start to the 2022 season after a tough opening weekend at the Utah Classic. LMU fell in straight sets to #22 Utah and #23 Kansas but took care of business and swept Utah Valley for its first victory of the season. Middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye and outside hitter Rose Booth lead the team with 2.67 kills per set and are averaging over 3.3 points per set.

Reigning National Runner-Up Nebraska comes into 2022 with high expectations. The Huskers opened their season with three clean sweeps last weekend and checked in at No. 2 in this week’s AVCA Coaches Poll. The Nebraska defense leads the nation, holding opponents to a mere .010 hitting percentage while blocking 3.44 attacks per set. Senior Madi Kubik leads the offense, averaging a team-high 4.00 kills per set, while senior Kaitlyn Hord leads the Huskers with a .375 hitting clip.

SERIES HISTORY

Friday’s matchup with LMU marks the second meeting between the…