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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
19-9, 13-6SEC
Kentucky
17-12, 11-8SEC
Rebels Fall To Kentucky 3-1 On Senior Night
11/19/2010 | Volleyball
Nov. 19, 2010
OXFORD, Miss. -- Senior middle blocker Miranda Kitts put down a match-high 15 kills and hit .481 with four blocks, but it wasn't enough to lead the Rebels to a win as Ole Miss (19-8, 13-6 SEC) fell to Kentucky (17-12, 11-8 SEC) on senior night by a score of 3-1 (25-15, 9-25, 18-25, 21-25).
The 15 kills tied a season-high for Kitts, matching the mark she put down against Louisiana-Lafayette earlier in the year.
Junior libero Morgan Springer led the back-row defense for the Rebels with 20 digs on the night, while senior Emily Kvitle added 11 digs and Ashley Veach came up with 10 digs.
"Our hats are off to Kentucky," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "They played well tonight and we didn't respond to their high level of play they showed. Miranda played exceptionally well for us, but we have to regroup now and get ready to face Tennessee on Sunday."
The Rebels got off to a quick start and looked to have things under control in the first set. Ole Miss hit .324 in the frame and were led by a near perfect performance from setter Amanda Philpot who put down five kills on seven attempts. The Rebels jumped out to a 7-1 lead on the Wildcats and never looked back, storming to a 25-15 win in the first set.
Kentucky turned the tables in the second set, pressing their own attack with and stepping up the net defense. The Wildcats jumped out to an 8-2 lead on the Rebels and Ole Miss was never able to find a rhythm offensively as Kentucky evened the match with a win in the second set 25-9. The Wildcats hit .308 in the frame, while holding the Rebels to negative hitting.
The third set saw a fierce battle early as the two teams traded scores before Kentucky put together a run to snap a six-all tie and push out in front of the Rebels by four. Ole Miss continued to fight, but was unable to overtake the Wildcats as Kentucky took a set lead in the match with a 25-18 win in the third frame.
The fourth set once again saw the Rebels fall behind early as Kentucky jumped out to an 8-3 lead on the Rebels and sent the home team into a timeout. Ole Miss answered the early Wildcat run, tying the match at 10. But after seeing the score knotted at 14, the Wildcats got two quick kills from Lauren Rapp and Gretchen Giesler to take the lead for good in a 25-21 win in the fourth set to claim the match.
Ole Miss returns to action on Sunday when the Rebels close out the regular season against No. 21 Tennessee. The match is set for a 1:30 p.m. start at the Gillom Sports Center and admission is free.
