Volleyball Hosts Tennessee In Midweek Matchup

RALLY POINTS
• Riding a three-match winning streak in conference play, the Rebels welcome Tennessee to Oxford for a mid-week matchup Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m.
• The Rebels have won six of their last seven matches, including three straight, entering tonight’s contest.
• Middle blockers Payton Brgoch and Sasha Ratliff led the Ole Miss attack over the last three matches, combining for 75 kills on a .418 attacking percentage.
• Freshmen Aly Borellis, Cammy Niesen and Vivian Miller have turned heads in the SEC, garnering a combined four weekly honors this season.
• Setter Aly Borellis ranks seventh nationally among freshmen with 10.08 assists per set.
• Senior Anna Bair has been one of the conference’s top attackers in 2022, ranking 10th in the SEC with 3.66 kills per set.
• Bair picked up her 1,000th career kill on September 30, becoming the 15th Rebel in program history to accomplish the feat.
• 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.

SCOUTING THE LADY VOLS

Head coach Eve Rackham Watt and Tennessee boast a 10-11 record on the season with a 4-5 mark in conference play. They have lost three straight matches entering Wednesday’s matchup. The Lady Vols are led by senior right side Morgahn Fingall, who leads the offense and SEC with 4.16 kills per set. Setter Natalie Hayward has Tennessee hitting at a .250 clip on the season while averaging 9.76 assists per set. Defensively, Paola Laborda paces the defense with 3.45 digs per set, and Klaudia Pawlik ranks first on the team with 1.14 blocks per set.

SERIES HISTORY

Tennessee leads the all-time series with Ole Miss 46-11. The Lady Vols have won each of the last two meetings; however, the last time the two teams faced off in Oxford, the Rebels knocked off Tennessee in a five-set thriller.

PREVIOUS MEETING

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Ole Miss was unable to overcome an offensive surge from Tennessee, falling 3-0. Lauren Thompson powered Ole Miss behind a career-high 18 kills, but it wasn’t enough as Tennessee hit at a high-powered .400 clip. Trailing early on in the opening set, Ole Miss was forced to play catchup. The Rebels fought back, pulling within five at 21-16 but were unable to overcome the Vols, falling in set one 25-17….