OXFORD, Miss. - Another double-double from Ole Miss senior setter Amanda Philpot, and a season-high 14 kills from freshman middle blocker Nakeyta Clair led the Ole Miss volleyball team (10-10, 4-7 Southeastern Conference) to a 3-0 victory over South Carolina on Sunday at the Gillom Sports Center.
It was the second-straight double-double for Philpot and her ninth this season, as she recorded a team-high 31 assists and a career- and team-high 22 digs against the Gamecocks, breaking her previous career high of 20, set against Northwestern last season.
Clair capped off a fantastic weekend of play with 14 kills, three solo blocks and five block assists. Clair's 14 kills come one match after registering a then-career-high 13 kills against Missouri on Friday night.
"I'm really proud of the team," Ole Miss volleyball head coach Joe Getzin said. "I think they responded very well, and because of that you saw us play some of our best volleyball of the year.
"Nakeyta's really been coming on. We've seen it in our gym and during practice, and it's really good that the fans and TV and everybody else get to see what we see on a daily basis. It was a little coming out party for her."
Ole Miss jumped out to a quick start in the first set, leading 7-1 to start, but the Gamecocks (15-8, 3-8 SEC) wouldn't back down. The Rebels stretched the lead to as many as eight points on two separate occasions, including at 19-11, but a 7-1 run by South Carolina cut the Rebels' lead to just two points at 20-18. Following a timeout, the Rebels regrouped and finished off the set on a 5-1 run to win the first set 25-19. Clair paced the Rebels with seven kills, while Philpot had eight assists and 10 digs.
The Rebels were on fire in the second set, hitting at a .593 clip and getting three or more kills from five different players. After exchanging points back and forth to open the set, the Rebels exploded to score 22 of the final 31 points and win the set 25-12.
Ole Miss finished off the match by winning a tight third set 25-21. Neither team held an advantage greater than two points in the third set until the Rebels scored the set and match's final four points to win 25-21.
Sunday's win comes after the Rebels' 3-1 victory over Missouri on Friday night, and pushes the Rebels' home record to 6-2 this season.
The Rebels will take the court again Sunday, Oct. 28 against Auburn at the Gillom Sports Center. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. CT.
For all Ole Miss volleyball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com. Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB and go to Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball.
It was exciting news this week as Rebel favorite Tom Luke returned to the Ole Miss football program as Assistant A.D. for Player Development. A second-generation Rebel and the brother of fellow Ole Miss standout and staffer Matt Luke, Tom... read more
A little more than a year into his first term as Ole Miss Athletics Director, Ross Bjork made his first trip to Starkville this week but did so for a good cause. Bjork and Bulldog AD Scott Stricklin joined forces... read more
Despite losing the All-American twin duo of Marcel and Chris Thiemann and playing in the toughest conference in America, Ole Miss finished the 2013 regular season with a ranking of No. 7 in the nation.The regular season was highlighted by... read more
The Rebels' uniform modifications for the 2013 football season were released during the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl. Facebook Photo Gallery Follow me on twitter @CampbellKyle.... read more
Injuries have riddled the Ole Miss football team this spring, and after evaluating the situation this week, the coaching staff determined a full scale scrimmage would not be an option for this year's BancorpSouth Grove Bowl. As a result, the... read more
Former Ole Miss All-Americans and collegiate top-10 doubles duo Kristi Boxx and Abby Guthrie have reunited to compete in the $25,000 USTA St. Dominic Pro Circuit women's event in Jackson. The event, which began Sunday, will run through April 7... read more
Panama Trip Photo GalleryTwo weeks ago, I wrote about a group of six Ole Miss football players who went on a mission trip to Panama over spring break. They have since returned to Oxford and been knee-deep in schoolwork and... read more
Ole Miss' run to the SEC Tournament title and the Big Dance received national coverage for the team and university during the March Madness. Below is just a sampling of mountain of press the Rebels have gotten including a tweet from King... read more
Michaela Quinn, a member of the 2013 Ole Miss track & field signing class, turned in a great performance at the World Junior Cross Country Championships over the weekend.Competing as a member of Team Australia, Quinn placed 25th in the... read more
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Colton Walls, a sophomore linebacker who started his career at Clemson, is among the non-scholarship players to join the Ole Miss football team this spring. Rebel fans will be quite... read more
A long list of ex-Rebels are planning to work out for the NFL scouts at Ole Miss Pro Day on Thursday. Of the 21 former players putting their talents on display, 16 concluded their Rebel careers in the fall, while... read more
It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating a bowl win in Birmingham. Now that that and an historic signing day are in the rear view mirror, it's time to gear up for spring drills. The Rebels take to the... read more
Ryan Smith, a sophomore distance runner on the Ole Miss track & field team, will be a sports trivia contestant on an upcoming segment of ESPNU's late-night entertainment show, UNITE.The episode of UNITE airs late Wednesday night at 1 a.m.... read more
The much anticipated list of walk out songs is here. Click on the song to hear it. Viewer discretion advised. Songs played in venue will be edited. My personal favorite has to be Mistone's with the Latin flavor. #1 Preston... read more
Olympic gold medalist and former Ole Miss star Brittney Reese will be among the headliner athletes at this weekend's Millrose Games indoor meet in New York City.Reese, who won gold in the long jump at the 2012 London Olympics, is... read more
