Nov. 4, 2005

Box Score

OXFORD, Miss. - It was a night of heart-break for the Rebels on Friday, as Ole Miss (7-19, 1-12 SEC) was unable to make it over the hump, dropping a close match with LSU (19-5, 9-4 SEC) by a score of 3-2 (29-31, 30-28, 22-30, 30-24, 9-15).

The Rebels got outstanding performances from the outside hitters, as Jaclyn Toohey put up a match-high 25 kills to lead the Rebels. She was joined by senior Nikki Hill, who also put up an impressive night with 23 kills of her own.

LSU got solid nights from Marina Skender and Jelena Mijatovic, who put down 22 and 20 kills, respectively. Kyna Washington added 12 kills for the Tigers.

LSU out-blocked the Rebels 15-to-5 on the night, which proved to be a big difference in the match overall.

"We played well tonight and continued to build on the level of play and energy we brought to the court on Wednesday, it just wasn't enough tonight," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "We've got to take that energy and level of play with us into the fifth game."

The first game was a tight one as both teams fought to control the match. The Rebels pushed hard, taking the lead out to as much as six points with a 19-13 advantage that forced LSU to take a timeout to regroup. But it was short-lived, as LSU would rattle off a run and force the Rebels into a timeout with the gap closed to three at 22-19. Ole Miss held on, but LSU continued to chip away at the lead, tying the game at 27 before pushing ahead to claim the first game 31-29.

The second game started out with the Rebels grabbing a slim lead before LSU tied the game at 10 and then pushed ahead of the home team briefly. Ole Miss fought back to tie things at 17 before pushing ahead to take the lead. The Rebels would hold the lead from there, taking the second game 30-28.

The third game was all Tigers, as LSU pushed out to an early 5-1 lead and never looked back. The Rebels would cut the lead to two a few times, but could not overtake the surging Tigers, who claimed the third game 30-22.

The fourth game saw Ole Miss dig down and fight hard, finding a reserve of energy as Toohey and Hill continued to pound away at the Tiger defense, and the Rebels took advantage of LSU miscues to grab the lead after a 15-15 tie, and push on out to claim the fourth game 30-24.

The fifth game was all LSU, as the Tigers took the game up a notch and Ole Miss was unable to answer. LSU pushed out to an 8-3 lead in the fifth game as the teams switched ends of the courts, and though the Rebels clawed back, the edge was too much. LSU took the match with a 15-9 win in game five.

The Rebels will return to action on Sunday, closing out the home portion of the schedule with senior day against the Lady `Backs of Arkansas. The match will begin at 1:30 p.m. with a ceremony to honor the three members of the senior class.