Volleyball Opens 2022 Season At Home With Ole Miss Invitational

RALLY POINTS

• Ole Miss volleyball opens the season at home, taking on a pair of top-20 opponents in No. 9 Georgia Tech Friday at 4 p.m. CT and No. 17 Illinois Sunday at 1 p.m.

•The Ole Miss Invitational will mark the third-ever matchup between the Rebels and both schools. The all-time series is tied 1-1 with Georgia Tech, while Illinois leads 2-0.

• 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.

• Gone from the 2021 squad are AVCA All-Region and All-SEC performer Kylee McLaughlin, outside hitter Lauren Thompson, middle blocker Aubrey Sultemeier and libero Sam Burgio.

• 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.

• Ole Miss finished 1-5 against top-25 teams last season, with the lone win coming at No. 15 Western Kentucky.

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

SCOUTING THE FIELD

Reigning AVCA East Coast Region Coach of the Year Michelle Collier is in her ninth season with the Jackets. Georgia Tech boasts 13 returners from last year’s 26-6 Elite Eight squad, including reigning ACC player of the year and first team all-American Julia Bergmann, along with All-ACC Second Team selection Breland Morrissette and ACC All-Freshman Team member Bianca Bertolino. Georgia Tech checked in at No. 9 in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll. As a team, the Jackets hit .291 last season, the sixth-best mark nationally and led the country with 15.2 kills per set.

Illinois finished last season with a 22-12 overall record and its third NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in the last five…