Oct. 4, 2002

Box Score

OXFORD, Miss. - Friday's home match against Alabama saw the Lady Rebels come in seeking the first Southeastern Conference win of the season. Ole Miss (6-8, 0-3 SEC) left the match the same way, as Alabama downed the Lady Rebels 3-0 (28-30, 22-30, 20-30).

Alabama improved to 11-6 overall, 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference with the win.

"I am disappointed, not only with the outcome, but with how we played this match," said head coach Joe Getzin. "We have to learn that we need people to step up, and we need to start transferring the energy we display in practice over to our games."

Karla Zschau led the Lady Rebels on the night with nine kills, while sophomore Elena Garcia turned in seven kills and freshman Rachel Refenes totaled six.

Alabama overcame 18 service errors in the match to claim the win. The Crimson Tide notched eight service errors in the first game alone. Erin Heffner for Alabama came out on fire, totaling 21 kills to only three attack errors on the match. She was joined by Jennifer Bibber who turned in 11 kills and only four attack errors. Bibber also recorded 17 digs in the match.

The first game opened quickly in the Lady Rebel's favor as Ole Miss jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead behind two Lady Rebel service aces and two Alabama service errors. The Crimson Tide battled back to tie the game at six, despite two more service errors as Ole Miss was unable to pull any further ahead. Alabama took its first lead of the game at 11-10 after a service ace and built on the lead with aggressive play, pulling out to a four point lead before Ole Miss would call timeout to regroup.

The two teams traded points out of the timeout with the Crimson Tide holding to the four-point lead before Ole Miss sparked a run to close the gap and tie the game at 18. The run forced Alabama into a timeout to slow the Rebel attack, but Ole Miss continued the assault with a Garcia kill to take the lead back. It didn't last long before Alabama pulled back ahead resulting in another Lady Rebel timeout. Ole Miss would dig in its heels and fight back to tie the game at 28, but the Crimson Tide would claim the first game 30-28.

Both teams attacked aggressively in the second game, trading points back and forth before one team would claim a slight edge. Ole Miss built a two-point cushion that would hold briefly before Alabama would tie things up at eight and take the lead, 9-8. The Crimson Tide lead would increase with a four point run, resulting in an Ole Miss timeout.

The Lady Rebels cut into the Alabama lead out of the timeout, pulling within two before the Crimson Tide would once again inch ahead with a three-point run to go up 21-16. The Alabama run would continue out of a timeout with a seven-to-one stretch. The run put the Tide up for good, as Alabama closed out the second game 30-22.

Game three saw the Crimson Tide jump all over Ole Miss from the start, quickly pulling out to a 4-0 lead before the Lady Rebels could recover. It wouldn't slow the Tide, as Alabama would notch two more points before Ole Miss could score again. The Crimson Tide attack dominated the Lady Rebels and knocked the team back on its heels as Alabama stretched its lead to 10-5. The Crimson Tide would hold to a four-point cushion, as the teams traded points. Ole Miss took a timeout at 17-12.

Alabama retook the court with a renewed vigor, scoring three straight before an Erica Tricco kill added another point for the Rebels. Ole Miss would scratch and claw to get back into the match, but the Alabama lead would be too much to overcome, as the Crimson Tide closed out the game and match with a 30-20 win.

Ole Miss will return to action on Sunday against the Auburn Tigers. The two teams will take to the court at 1:30 p.m. with both teams continuing to look for the first conference win of the season. The match will be played at the Gillom Sports Center on the campus of the University of Mississippi. The first 50 people through the door will receive a free small pizza.