Volleyball Readies For Road Test At No. 19 Kentucky

RALLY POINTS
• Ole Miss heads back on the road for a midweek matchup with No. 18 Kentucky on Wednesday, October 12.
• The Rebels swept the series with Alabama over the weekend, picking up their first two home victories in 2022.
• For the second consecutive week, Cammy Niesen turned heads in the SEC, this time garnering Defensive Player of the Week honors after a career-high 29 dig performance last Friday.
• Freshman outside hitter Vivian Miller had a career weekend, leading the Ole Miss attack with 4.13 kills per set on a .338 clip. She was recognized by the conference with SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
• Ole Miss has leaned heavily on its freshmen this season. Aly Borellis ranks sixth nationally among freshmen with 10.04 assists per set.
• Senior Anna Bair has been one of the conference’s top attackers in 2022, ranking eighth in the SEC and 89th nationally with 3.69 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 WILDCATS

Kentucky boasts a 10-5 record on the season and comes into Wednesday’s match ranked 19th in the latest AVCA Poll. The Wildcats, coached by Craig Skinner, sit atop the SEC standings, with their lone conference loss coming at the hands of LSU. Reigning SEC Player of the Week, Reagan Rutherford leads the team, averaging 4.11 kills per set, and setter Emma Grome has the offense hitting at a .292 clip, the 10th best mark nationally. The defense is holding opposing teams to a .225 attacking percentage, led by libero Eleanor Beavin (3.90 digs per set) and Elise Goetzinger (0.702 blocks per set).

SERIES HISTORY

Kentucky leads the all-time series with Ole Miss 49-12. It has been an extremely lopsided series as of late, with the Wildcats winning each of the last 19 meetings. The Rebels nearly snapped that streak last season, taking No. 6 Kentucky to five sets in Oxford. Their last victory against the Wildcats came in Lexington in 2010.

PREVIOUS MEETING

OXFORD, Miss. – Playing in front of a record 1,251 fans inside the Gillom Center, Ole Miss and No. 6 Kentucky played to the brink. The Rebels took the…