LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Ole Miss volleyball program delivered a fiery comeback bid at No. 4 Kentucky, but ultimately came up just short, falling 3-1 on Sunday afternoon at Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Melia Johnson delivered a season-high 17 kills on .333 hitting, while adding seven digs to power the Rebels (8-8, 2-3 SEC) offense. Bella Bonanno notched a career-high 17 digs, while Keirstyn Carlton notched five blocks against the Wildcats (13-3, 5-1 SEC).
The Rebels got off to a great start offensively, hitting .500, but the Wildcats managed to tally a pair of service aces and force a Rebel timeout at 9-6. The Rebels continued to find positive swings, as Johnson hit .429 with three kills and Shayla Meyer added three more kills. However, the hosts delivered a very efficient first frame, holding off the Rebels and taking the set, 25-14.
The second set followed a very similar pattern to the first, as both sides hit efficiently, but the hosts capitalized on more Rebel mistakes, taking a 15-9 lead into the technical timeout. Despite what became a large deficit of 18-9, the Rebels rallied back with a 5-1 run behind an ace and kill from Meyer to make it 19-14. Jorda Crook chipped in from there, tallying a kill and block to help cut the deficit to 21-17. However, the Wildcats managed to hang on, taking the set, 25-20.
The Rebels came out of the gate with renewed energy and momentum in the third set, quickly opening the set on a 5-0 run and forcing Kentucky into a timeout. Johnson was the catalyst for the run with three early kills. The Rebels maintained the advantage behind more heavy swings from Johnson, who tallied her sixth kill of the set to take Ole Miss into the technical timeout up 15-9. The Wildcats attempted to chip away, but each time, the Rebels had answer. Kentucky cut the deficit to three, but Tenesyn Frye and Carlton combined on a key block that swung momentum back to Ole Miss. Kentucky pressed back, cutting the lead to 21-20, but Johnson struck again, tallying three late kills to finish with 10 in the frame and the Rebels secured the third set, 25-22.
Kentucky opened the fourth set quickly, taking a 5-2 advantage. The Rebels punched back with two kills from Meyer and a solo block from Carlton, but Kentucky weathered the storm and forced Ole Miss into a timeout, up 11-7. The Rebels fought valiantly to keep the set close, cutting the Wildcat lead to two on multiple occasions, including at 17-19, behind another block from Carlton and Meyer. However, the hosts managed to put together a decisive finish to the set, winning 25-19.
The Rebels are back in action next weekend, returning home to Oxford to welcome Georgia on Friday, October 16. The match is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed via SEC Network Plus.