OXFORD, Miss. — Fresh off a dominant sweep at Arkansas, the LSU volleyball team will face Ole Miss on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Gillom Sports Center with a chance to earn an outright title in the Southeastern Conference Western Division.
LSU (16-9, 11-7 SEC) holds a two-match advantage over Ole Miss in the conference with two matches to play, so the Tigers have clinched at least a share of the SEC West title for the fourth consecutive season. The Rebels (13-14, 9-9 SEC) have won their last two matches including a five-set victory over Georgia on Friday.
“Ole Miss on their home court is a tough match for everybody, and they have pushed everyone they have played to the limit,” LSU head coach Fran Flory said. “We recently have played much better in this gym, and we feel more comfortable. Ole Miss is playing well and is making a run at the end. They have their lineup back intact, and they have done a great job in the second half of the season of winning their home matches.”
Ole Miss is led by senior Rachel Kieckhaefer who is third in the SEC in assists per set at 9.24. Kieckhaefer is also one of two Rebels in the top 10 in the SEC in services aces per set as she averages 0.30 and freshman Morgan Springer averages 0.32. Defensively Ole Miss is led by senior Allison Weber who ranks seventh in the conference in digs per set at 4.02. Friday night against Georgia, Weber recorded 18 digs.
Against Georgia, two Rebels finished with more than 20 kills as freshman Katie Norris recorded 22 and junior Caitlin Weiss tallied 21.
Junior Brittnee Cooper continues to lead the Tigers in hitting percentage as she is listed at No. 5 in the SEC with a .336 attacking clip. Freshman Michele Williams has jumped into the top 10 in the conference for hitting percentage as she is up to .301. Defensively, Cooper is ranked second in blocks per set at 1.30. Senior Elena Martinez ranks second in digs per set at 4.97.
LSU leads the all-time series against Ole Miss, 44-12, and the Tigers will try to complete the season sweep of the Rebels for the second year in a row. On Oct. 3, LSU beat Ole Miss in Baton Rouge, 25-15, 25-17, 25-18.
“They are a team similar to us in that they are continuing to get better and improve,” Flory said. “They certainly are not done for the year, and we are aware of that and hopefully will be prepared for that.”
The match will air live on Fox Sports Net. The Tigers are 1-1 on TV this season as they fell at Florida, 3-1, on Sept. 21 on FSN and beat Arkansas in Baton Rouge, 3-0, on Oct. 5 on Cox Sports Television.