The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, August 29
Atlanta, Ga.
2 PM
Ole Miss
1-0,0-0SEC
3
vs
2
Arkansas State
0-1,0-0Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
5
F
Arkansas St.
23
25
25
20
10
2
Ole Miss
25
18
12
25
15
3
Volleyball Rallies for Dramatic Comeback Win over Arkansas State
8/29/2025 | Volleyball
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Ole Miss volleyball program opened their 2025 campaign with a bang, rallying to take down Arkansas State, 3-2, on Friday afternoon at the Georgia Tech Classic at O'Keefe Gymnasium.
Gabi Placide led the Rebels (1-0, 0-0 SEC) with 16 kills and four digs in her Rebel debut, while redshirt freshman Melia Johnson had a collegiate debut to remember, tallying 15 kills on a .480 hitting percentage. Kaitlin Whitlock and Devyn Lewis each recorded 18 kills to lead the Red Wolves (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt).
The Rebels began the new season with urgency, as Jordyn Towns and Gabi Placide both got involved early in the opening set. The two new Rebels accounted for the first four points of the day and the Rebels built an early 7-4 lead. While the Red Wolves pushed back into the set, the Rebels never relinquished the lead. Placide helped build a 21-15 advantage with six kills in the opening period. While the Red Wolves rallied to tie the match at 23-23, Melia Johnson's first collegiate kill put the Rebels ahead for good and helped secure a 25-23 win.
Arkansas State came out of the gate with more energy in the second set, building a quick 5-2 lead. Kills by Melia Johnson and Tessa Jones helped keep the set close, but the Red Wolves began to gain momentum on their serve and the lead ballooned to 18-9. A pair of Red Wolves errors and a Towns ace served to potentially start a rally, but the Red Wolves snuffed it out, taking the second set 25-18.
The Red Wolves rode the wave of momentum to a big lead in the third set, as they surged to an 18-7 advantage. While the Red Wolves ended up taking the third set, 25-12, the Rebels quickly regrouped for the fourth set.
Arkansas State opened with a 7-2 lead, but the Rebels chipped away. The rally began to bubble up after a couple of Red Wolves errors and a Mokihana Tufono kill, but surged with the insertion of Carly Paugh into her first collegiate match. The freshman met the moment, opening her collegiate career with five kills on five consecutive swings and gave the Rebels a spark.
When Paugh came out the match, the Red Wolves took a 16-13 lead, but Paugh returned with two more kills and sparked a 6-0 run for the Rebels, to take a 19-16 lead. That was all the Rebels needed, as Placide tallied a service ace, Johnson notched two kills and Cameron Bradley finished off a 25-20 set win with a service ace of her own to force a fifth.
With the momentum on their side, the Rebels surged in the fifth. Johnson and Towns tallied two kills each and Cammy Niesen notched a service ace to open up a 6-3 lead. As a unit, the Rebels hit a scorching .857 in the period, as Johnson and Placide continued to find the seams on their swings. Two late kills by Johnson and the final emphatic kill by Towns helped complete the comeback, winning 15-10.
The Rebels are back in action tomorrow for game two of the Georgia Tech Classic, facing the hosts No. 22 Georgia Tech. The match will start at 6 p.m. CT, and be streamed via ACCNX.
Fans can continue to show support for the Rebels by joining the ACE Club. Funds from the ACE Club are a major component in helping the Ole Miss volleyball program compete at the highest level. For more information and to donate, click here.
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Volleyball on X at @OleMissVB, on Instagram at @olemissvb and on Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball. See exclusive photo and video content from behind the scenes and connect in real time with everything Ole Miss.
Gabi Placide led the Rebels (1-0, 0-0 SEC) with 16 kills and four digs in her Rebel debut, while redshirt freshman Melia Johnson had a collegiate debut to remember, tallying 15 kills on a .480 hitting percentage. Kaitlin Whitlock and Devyn Lewis each recorded 18 kills to lead the Red Wolves (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt).
The Rebels began the new season with urgency, as Jordyn Towns and Gabi Placide both got involved early in the opening set. The two new Rebels accounted for the first four points of the day and the Rebels built an early 7-4 lead. While the Red Wolves pushed back into the set, the Rebels never relinquished the lead. Placide helped build a 21-15 advantage with six kills in the opening period. While the Red Wolves rallied to tie the match at 23-23, Melia Johnson's first collegiate kill put the Rebels ahead for good and helped secure a 25-23 win.
Arkansas State came out of the gate with more energy in the second set, building a quick 5-2 lead. Kills by Melia Johnson and Tessa Jones helped keep the set close, but the Red Wolves began to gain momentum on their serve and the lead ballooned to 18-9. A pair of Red Wolves errors and a Towns ace served to potentially start a rally, but the Red Wolves snuffed it out, taking the second set 25-18.
The Red Wolves rode the wave of momentum to a big lead in the third set, as they surged to an 18-7 advantage. While the Red Wolves ended up taking the third set, 25-12, the Rebels quickly regrouped for the fourth set.
Arkansas State opened with a 7-2 lead, but the Rebels chipped away. The rally began to bubble up after a couple of Red Wolves errors and a Mokihana Tufono kill, but surged with the insertion of Carly Paugh into her first collegiate match. The freshman met the moment, opening her collegiate career with five kills on five consecutive swings and gave the Rebels a spark.
When Paugh came out the match, the Red Wolves took a 16-13 lead, but Paugh returned with two more kills and sparked a 6-0 run for the Rebels, to take a 19-16 lead. That was all the Rebels needed, as Placide tallied a service ace, Johnson notched two kills and Cameron Bradley finished off a 25-20 set win with a service ace of her own to force a fifth.
With the momentum on their side, the Rebels surged in the fifth. Johnson and Towns tallied two kills each and Cammy Niesen notched a service ace to open up a 6-3 lead. As a unit, the Rebels hit a scorching .857 in the period, as Johnson and Placide continued to find the seams on their swings. Two late kills by Johnson and the final emphatic kill by Towns helped complete the comeback, winning 15-10.
The Rebels are back in action tomorrow for game two of the Georgia Tech Classic, facing the hosts No. 22 Georgia Tech. The match will start at 6 p.m. CT, and be streamed via ACCNX.
Fans can continue to show support for the Rebels by joining the ACE Club. Funds from the ACE Club are a major component in helping the Ole Miss volleyball program compete at the highest level. For more information and to donate, click here.
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Volleyball on X at @OleMissVB, on Instagram at @olemissvb and on Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball. See exclusive photo and video content from behind the scenes and connect in real time with everything Ole Miss.
Team Stats
ASU
UM
Kills
57
60
Errors
13
26
Attempts
124
137
Hitting %
.355
.248
Points
76.0
73.5
Assists
54
54
Aces
9
9
Blocks
10
4.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
2
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
S
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