OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss volleyball comes home to the Gillom Center in Oxford to face in-state rival Mississippi State, the first of four straight home matches that close out the Rebels’ regular season over the next two weekends.
It will be the 109th meeting between the programs. The Bulldogs have taken six of the last 10 and arrive playing well, leading the SEC in digs per set at 15.49 and in attacks per set at 35.42. Lindsey Mangelson had 15 kills in a win over Arkansas, and Mckenna Yates posted a season-best 24 digs. Yates is closing on 1,000 career digs.
The Rebels need a turnaround. They have dropped seven in a row and have hit below .150 in each of their last three SEC matches. Their strength has come late in matches: the Rebels are 14-26 across opening and second sets, compared with 17-18 once a match reaches the third set or later. Serving is another tell, as the team is 7-0 when it records at least seven aces and 1-12 otherwise.
Libero Cameron Bradley leads the SEC and ranks 12th in the nation at 4.93 digs per set. When she has been out, sophomore Bella Bonanno filled in with career highs of 18 digs against South Carolina and 20 at Auburn. Freshman Jaidyn Hartsfield has been the top Rebel attacker twice in the past three outings, and sophomore Keirstyn Carlton had 12 kills on .400 hitting with four blocks the last time she saw Mississippi State.
Mississippi State also got eight block assists from Ava Anderson against the Razorbacks, and Bernardita Aguilar is approaching 500 career kills, so both teams have milestones in play.
After this weekend, the Bulldogs continue their road swing at Alabama.
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