Courtesy: University of Mississippi
Cunningham's Career Night Pushes Rebels To Win
11/20/2009 University of Mississippi
OXFORD, Miss. - Courtney Cunningham posted a career night for Ole Miss (9-19, 3-15 SEC) as the middle blocker put down 16 kills and hit .750 for the match to push the Rebels past Georgia (15-14, 6-12 SEC) by a score of 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-20).
The 16 kills was a career-high for the freshman as was the .750 hitting percentage as Cunningham only tallied one error and 16 kills on 20 swings. She also came up with three blocks, three digs and two service aces.
Freshman outside hitter Whitney Craven also put down 10 kills and hit .364 to help the Rebels offense, while freshman setter Marielle Oestermeyer was efficient directing the offense. The Rebels hit .385 for the match and an impressive .520 in the second set. Sophomore middle blocker Regina Thomas also hit .500 with seven kills and no errors on 14 attacks.
"It was a great team effort tonight," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "Obviously Courtney Cunningham added a little something tonight. We executed our game plan very well and it was nice to see us stay focused throughout the match. Of course, it's always great to be back playing at home."
The first set opened with a back-and-forth battle between the two teams before the Rebels finally pushed ahead and claimed a four-point lead at 14-10. The Bulldogs would stay close with Ole Miss from there, but the combined attack of Craven, Cunningham and Thomas proved to be too much as the trio combined for 12 kills and only one error in the 25-20 win for the Rebels.
Ole Miss continued to build on the first set performance in the second frame, exerting their will on the visiting Bulldogs early. The Rebels hit .520 for the frame and pushed Georgia into an early timeout up 7-4 following back-to-back service aces from Cunningham. The Rebels continued to pull away from there, sending Georgia into a second timeout trailing 14-7, before Ole Miss would take the second set 25-14 and hold a two-set lead at the break.
The Rebels continued to play well in the third set, hitting .323 for the frame as Ole Miss continued to look to Cunningham and Craven for an efficient attack. With the score tied at 10, the Rebels went on a quick run to snag a 15-11 lead and never trailed again. Cunningham was 6-for-8 with no errors in the set and Craven was 3-for-4 with no attack errors as Ole Miss picked up the 25-20 win and claimed the match.
The win gave the Rebels a split in the season series with the Bulldogs and snapped an eight-match losing streak as Ole Miss finally played a match with a fully healthy squad for the first time almost a month.
The Rebels return to action on Sunday when Ole Miss will host Auburn at 1 p.m. in a match that will be televised by CSS. It will be senior day as the Rebels will honor the lone senior on the team, Caitlin Weiss in a ceremony following the match.
The 16 kills was a career-high for the freshman as was the .750 hitting percentage as Cunningham only tallied one error and 16 kills on 20 swings. She also came up with three blocks, three digs and two service aces.
Freshman outside hitter Whitney Craven also put down 10 kills and hit .364 to help the Rebels offense, while freshman setter Marielle Oestermeyer was efficient directing the offense. The Rebels hit .385 for the match and an impressive .520 in the second set. Sophomore middle blocker Regina Thomas also hit .500 with seven kills and no errors on 14 attacks.
"It was a great team effort tonight," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "Obviously Courtney Cunningham added a little something tonight. We executed our game plan very well and it was nice to see us stay focused throughout the match. Of course, it's always great to be back playing at home."
The first set opened with a back-and-forth battle between the two teams before the Rebels finally pushed ahead and claimed a four-point lead at 14-10. The Bulldogs would stay close with Ole Miss from there, but the combined attack of Craven, Cunningham and Thomas proved to be too much as the trio combined for 12 kills and only one error in the 25-20 win for the Rebels.
Ole Miss continued to build on the first set performance in the second frame, exerting their will on the visiting Bulldogs early. The Rebels hit .520 for the frame and pushed Georgia into an early timeout up 7-4 following back-to-back service aces from Cunningham. The Rebels continued to pull away from there, sending Georgia into a second timeout trailing 14-7, before Ole Miss would take the second set 25-14 and hold a two-set lead at the break.
The Rebels continued to play well in the third set, hitting .323 for the frame as Ole Miss continued to look to Cunningham and Craven for an efficient attack. With the score tied at 10, the Rebels went on a quick run to snag a 15-11 lead and never trailed again. Cunningham was 6-for-8 with no errors in the set and Craven was 3-for-4 with no attack errors as Ole Miss picked up the 25-20 win and claimed the match.
The win gave the Rebels a split in the season series with the Bulldogs and snapped an eight-match losing streak as Ole Miss finally played a match with a fully healthy squad for the first time almost a month.
The Rebels return to action on Sunday when Ole Miss will host Auburn at 1 p.m. in a match that will be televised by CSS. It will be senior day as the Rebels will honor the lone senior on the team, Caitlin Weiss in a ceremony following the match.
