GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Ole Miss volleyball hung with fifth-ranked Florida early in each set Sunday afternoon but could not keep pace, losing 3-0 at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
The Gators took the sets 25-21, 25-15 and 25-18. The Rebels fell to 8-12 overall and 2-7 in SEC play, while Florida moved to 17-2 and 8-1 and stayed perfect at home at 9-0. A crowd of 3,011 was on hand.
The first set was tight for a long stretch, with the score knotted seven times and the lead trading hands three times, before the Gators broke free late. In the second, Ole Miss grabbed a 5-4 edge on a four-point run and still led 10-9, but the Gators answered with a 10-1 burst to take control.
Florida’s attack was the story. The Gators hit .393 with 45 kills, while the Rebels managed a .128 clip with 30 kills and 18 hitting errors.
Jaidyn Hartsfield led Ole Miss with nine kills. Melia Johnson added eight and Jorda Crook had seven. Vivianna Samaniego handed out 13 assists, and Ryea Jackson served three aces. Bella Bonanno led the back row with seven digs.
For Florida, Kamryn Chaney had 13 kills and Alec Rothe added 11 with four blocks. The Gators made only 12 hitting errors on 84 swings, a level of efficiency the Rebels could not match at any point in the afternoon.
The loss stretched a difficult run in conference play for Ole Miss, which now has two SEC wins with the back half of the league schedule still ahead.
History was not on the Rebels’ side. Ole Miss has never won in Gainesville across a series that now covers more than 70 meetings, and the program has not beaten Florida anywhere since 1989.
Section: More Oxford MS sports news
Filed under: Oxford MS Sports News
