Oct. 26, 2012

Ole Miss Notes

The Last Meeting

Auburn	1
Ole Miss	3

October 28, 2011
Oxford, Miss.

Rebels Rally To Take Down Auburn 3-1 Kara Morgan and Allegra Wells both put down 12 kills for the Rebels as Ole Miss defeated Auburn by a score of 3-1 on Friday night.

Recap | Box Score

OXFORD, Miss. – Coming off a pair of wins last week against Missouri and South Carolina, the Ole Miss volleyball team (10-10, 4-7 Southeastern Conference) will look to extend its conference win streak to three on Sunday when it faces Auburn at the Gillom Sports Center at 1:30 p.m. CT.

It is the first time this season Ole Miss will play at home for a second consecutive week. The Rebels got a sweep at home last week, defeating Missouri 3-1 Friday and following it with a 3-0 win over South Carolina on Sunday.

Middle blocker Nakeyta Clair was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for her hard play against the Tigers and Gamecocks. Clair averaged 3.86 kills and 2.14 blocks per set, while hitting .595 in the two matches combined. Clair committed just one error on 17 attempts against Missouri for a career-high attacking percentage (.706).

“We’re at home this week and it’s the first time this season we’ve been home for two straight weeks so that’s great,” Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin said. “Because we have only one match this week, we were able to take some time off from a physical standpoint and hopefully we got healthier. We worked on some individual skills, which you usually don’t get to do at this point in the year, and we’re hoping that translates into sharper play from our side of the net and we can add to this winning streak.

“Auburn is a dangerous team to play because of how good they are with their ball control. They have some very experienced players and a good coaching staff.”

With Halloween just around the corner, kids will receive treats at the Gillom Center on Sunday, and one fan will have an opportunity to win cash in the Cash Cube at halftime. Sunday is also High School Team Day, where all area teams are invited to attend the match.

This is Ole Miss and Auburn’s first meeting this season. The Rebels are 14-5 against Auburn in the Getzin era, and have won three of the past four meetings, including a 3-1 decision last season in Oxford.

Ole Miss has been led offensively this season by junior outside hitter Kara Morgan, who has a team-high 3.26 kills per set. Senior setter Amanda Philpot is averaging a team-high 9.20 assists per set, while senior libero Ashley Veach leads the team with 4.51 digs per set.

Ole Miss has gotten great production from its freshmen over the last four matches, with three of the Rebels’ top four kill leaders and block leaders being freshmen.

As a team, Auburn has the second lowest opponent’s hitting percentage in the SEC, forcing its opponents to hit at just a .171 clip. The Tigers also rank fourth in the SEC in blocks, led by Camila Jersonsky, who is second in the conference individually, blocking 1.15 attacks per set.

For all Ole Miss volleyball news and information, including a recap of Sunday’s match, live stats and results, go to OleMissSports.com. Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB, and go to Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball.