Volleyball Set For Magnolia State Matchup

RALLY POINTS
• The Rebels wrap up the month of October with a rivalry match at Mississippi State Wednesday, October 26th.
• Ole Miss has won five of its last six matches entering tonight’s contest.
• Middle blockers Payton Brgoch and Sasha Ratliff led Ole Miss to a series sweep of Missouri, combining for 55 kills on a .506 attacking percentage. 
• Freshmen Cammy Niesen and Vivian Miller have turned heads in the SEC, garnering three weekly honors this season.
• Setter Aly Borellis ranks eighth nationally among freshmen with 9.89 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 just the 15th Rebel in program history to accomplish the feat.
• 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 BULLDOGS

Head coach Julie Darty Dennis and Mississippi State head into the Magnolia State matchup with an 11-8 record and a 4-5 mark in conference play. The Bulldogs started the season strong but have dropped each of their last three matches. Taking advantage of her extra season of eligibility, senior Gabby Waden leads the MSU attack averaging 3.54 kills per set. Senior setter Gabby Coulter has the Bulldogs hitting at a .237 mark as a team while registering 9.35 assists per set. Defensively, Mississippi State leads the conference with 15.21 digs per set but ranks last in blocking, with 1.79 blocks per set.

SERIES HISTORY

Ole Miss leads the all-time series with Mississippi State 73-29; however, the Bulldogs have won the last three meetings. Ole Miss looks to snap that streak on Wednesday. The Rebels are 26-17 when playing in Starkville.

PREVIOUS MEETING

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss was unable to fend off a Bulldog comeback, falling 3-2 in the in-state showdown between the Rebels and Mississippi State.

Ole Miss found itself in a hole early, trailing 10-6, but overcame the deficit with a 5-0 behind Ratliff at the service line. A Bulldog kill tied the set up at 11 all and remained tied through 18 until MSU retook the lead. The Rebels halted two straight set points to tie things up again at 24 and grabbed the set with a big kill and block…