Sept. 8, 2004

OXFORD, Miss. - Off to its best start since the 1984 season, Ole Miss (4-0) will take it's unblemished record on the road as the Lady Rebels travel to Texas State this weekend to compete in the Honda Classic Premiere in San Marcos, Texas.

The Lady Rebels, fresh off a win at the Magnolia Invitational where Ole Miss defeated Baylor, Eastern Michigan and Morehead State, are hoping to take the success they experienced in the first week of the season and continue it on the road.

"We're really hoping to take what success we have experienced and continue to build more success on top of that," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "We've worked hard in the preseason and it's nice to see that effort carry over to the floor in games. We just want to continue that success."

Kristen Carroll leads the way for the Ole Miss squad with 43 kills on the season, 39 coming over the weekend in the Magnolia Invitational. The sophomore from Homewood, Ala., led the Lady Rebels against Morehead State, helping clinch the win with her career-high 19 kills.

Senior Elena Garcia has been the defensive stalwart for the squad despite being an outside hitter. Garcia has come up with 56 digs on the season and earned a spot on the All-Tournament team at the Magnolia Invitational for her play.

One other Lady Rebel standing out on the court has been Jillian Ohrman. The sophomore middle blocker is among the Southeastern Conference leaders in blocks and attack percentage on the season, tallying 17 blocks to date and hitting at a .451 clip.

Ole Miss will be facing off against three solid opponents in the Honda Classic Premiere in James Madison, San Diego State and the host team of Texas State.

James Madison enters the tournament with a 2-1 record with wins over Bucknell and Charleston Southern, while falling to Charlotte. The Dukes are led by Emilee Hussack, who averages 4.40 kills per game. Nora Quish and Jena Pierson lead the defensive effort for James Madison, digging 2.80 and 2.70 balls per game.

San Diego State enters the tournament with a 0-4 record on the year, but is a traditionally solid program that could prove to be a tough challenge for the Lady Rebels. The Aztecs fell to Arizona, Texas Tech, UC-Santa Barbara and Wichita State. Melissa Stapley leads the SDSU attack with 38 kills on the season, while Angela Verdenacci is second with 33 kills. Kristen Castillo paces the squad with 129 assists on the year, while Ashley Bowker has been a force at the net with 20 blocks to date.

The Bobcats of Texas State recorded a second-place finish at the Fullerton Classic over the weekend with wins over Delaware and Iona before falling to the host team of Cal State Fullerton. Kacee Rogers and Elizabeth Nwoke will be leading the Bobcat attack with 48 and 42 kills respectively. Krystal Kolkhost has been the key to the Texas State attack with 166 assists thus far in the season; while Amy Ramirez has turned in 64 digs.

Ole Miss will face off with James Madison at 10:30 a.m. on Friday before challenging San Diego State that afternoon at 5 p.m. The Lady Rebels will close out the tournament against the host Texas State Bobcats at 2 p.m. on Saturday.