Oct. 19, 2011

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss volleyball team takes to the road this weekend to kick off the second half of Southeastern Conference play with a pair of matches against Arkansas and LSU, beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday night against the Razorbacks.

The Rebels will face LSU at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

Ole Miss plays a 20-match conference schedule as a part of the round-robin format the league adopted prior to the 2006 season as each team plays a home-and-home schedule following the elimination of the conference tournament.

The Rebels defeated Arkansas 3-2 in Oxford in the first meeting as a part of the opening weekend of conference play after falling to LSU 3-2 in the conference opener that same weekend.

Ole Miss continues to be led offensively by senior middle blocker Regina Thomas, who leads the Southeastern Conference in hitting and blocking. An All-America selection a year ago, Thomas is hitting at a .380 clip and putting down 1.10 blocks per set this season after leading the SEC in hitting last season.

She is joined on the attack by sophomore outside hitter Kara Morgan who has emerged as a consistent offensive threat for the Rebels in recent weeks. Morgan leads the squad in kills in conference play, putting down 103 in SEC matches and averaging 2.45 kills per set to date. Also performing for the Rebel offense has been junior right side hitter Allegra Wells, who leads the squad in kills on the season with 176 and is averaging 2.48 kills per set this year.

Defensively, the Rebels have been getting continued support on the back row from senior libero Morgan Springer. The Louisville, Ky., native leads the squad with 3.99 digs per set and is fourth in the SEC in that category.

Fans of Ole Miss volleyball can follow both matches live via Gametracker at www.OleMissSports.com.