RALLY POINTS
• Ole Miss Volleyball looks to turn the tide this weekend at the Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos, Texas, when they take on Sam Houston, Texas State and Wake Forest.
• The Rebels enter the weekend battle-tested, having faced three ranked teams, including a pair of top-10 opponents, in their first four matches.
• Junior Payton Brgoch continues to establish herself as one of the best middle blockers in the SEC. Through the first four matches, she ranks third in the conference and 21st nationally with 1.50 blocks per set.
• Katie Corelli picked up All-Tournament honors last weekend at the Husker Invitational, finishing with 11 kills and a .450 clip.
• 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
Heading into the weekend, Sam Houston sits at 3-5 overall. The Bearkats are coming off a close 0-3 loss to Texas A&M on Tuesday, pushing the Aggies past 25 in two sets. Freshman middle blocker Madison Dyer leads the team with 76 kills and a .299 attacking percentage while averaging 0.81 blocks per set.
The tournament host Texas State is off to a 4-2 start to the 2022 season. The Bobcats swept through opening weekend at the Cardinal Classic before dropping contests to Hawaii and UCLA last weekend. Through six matches, Texas State is hitting at a .279 clip, the 34th best mark in the country, and ranks inside the top 100 with 13.25 kills per set. Sixth-year senior Jada Gardner paces the offense with 68 kills on 151 total attacks.
Rounding out the field is Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons boast a 3-2 record on the year, including a four set victory over South Carolina last weekend. As a team, Wake Forest ranks 19th nationally with 16.95 digs per set, led by…
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