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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, September 27
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
2 PM
Ole Miss
7-5,1-0SEC
3
at
0
Alabama
8-3,0-2SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ole Miss | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Alabama | 17 | 19 | 23 | 0 |
Volleyball Rolls Past Alabama in SEC Opener
9/27/2026 | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Ole Miss Rebels secured a statement victory in the SEC opener against Alabama, sweeping the Crimson Tide, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Foster Auditorium.
The Rebels (7-5, 1-0 SEC) put together an offensive clinic against the Crimson Tide (8-3, 0-2 SEC) after standout performances from Melia Johnson and Jorda Crook, contributing 22 kills and seven blocks combined on the day. Additionally, the Rebel defense stifled the Tide, limiting the hosts to a -.022 hitting percentage, good for the first time the Rebels have held an SEC opponent to negative hitting since a 2017 win over Mississippi State.
The opening frame saw a back-and-forth battle with both teams laying down key swings in the set. Johnson and Crook were pivotal pieces to push the Rebels lead to 12-9 after putting down seven kills combined in that span. Ole Miss would take a three-point lead into the media timeout, 15-12 behind a Keirstyn Carlton kill. Following the break, Crook would put down an emphatic solo block, that would lead to a Vivianna Samaniego ace and a Shayla Meyer kill that would extend the Rebel's lead to six, 18-12 and cause an Alabama timeout. Ole Miss would continue their dominance after the break, going on a 3-1 run to take a nine-point edge 21-12 into another Crimson Tide timeout. With no slowing down in sight, the Rebels would completely overpower Alabama and claim a set win, 25-17, to take a 1-0 match lead.
Ole Miss would get out to a fiery start to carry over the momentum from the prior set, taking an early 6-2 lead. Alabama would counter, going on a 6-1 run, to take a one-point advantage after a couple of kills and an ace. Once again, the Rebels would start to flex their muscles with Crook and Meyer tallying four kills combined to take a 15-10 lead into a media timeout. Coming out of the break, Alabama would tally two quick points to cut the lead to three, but Ole Miss would silence any offensive gains from the Crimson Tide to take an 18-12 lead and force an Alabama timeout. The Rebels extended the lead to 21-12 out of the timeout but Alabama would find some life to score four straight points of their own. After a huge block assist from Johnson and Ryea Jackson, the Rebels would take down the Crimson Tide, 25-19, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
With Ole Miss having all the momentum heading into set three, Alabama would flip the script early in the frame, getting out to a 3-0 lead with a block and an ace. The Rebels would get back into their groove after a kill from Johnson and a block assist from Crook and Carlton. After a few ties and lead changes, the Crimson Tide began to pull away taking an 8-5 lead and forcing a Rebel timeout. Following the timeout, the momentum remained in favor of Alabama with the Crimson Tide taking a 15-9 lead into the media break. After the pause in play, the Rebels would find themselves down 17-12 but would find a boost of energy and cut the lead down to two with an ace from Samaniego and a kill from Shayla Meyer that would force an Alabama timeout. Ole Miss continued to roar back and tie the match at 19-19. From then on, it would be a back-and-forth battle with the set coming down to the wire. The Ole Miss Rebels would deliver the final blow, with two service aces from Crook and an error from Alabama to complete the sweep, taking a 25-23 set win and a 3-0 victory.
Ole Miss will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 2, to continue SEC play, hosting Missouri at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed via SEC Network Plus.
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.
The Rebels (7-5, 1-0 SEC) put together an offensive clinic against the Crimson Tide (8-3, 0-2 SEC) after standout performances from Melia Johnson and Jorda Crook, contributing 22 kills and seven blocks combined on the day. Additionally, the Rebel defense stifled the Tide, limiting the hosts to a -.022 hitting percentage, good for the first time the Rebels have held an SEC opponent to negative hitting since a 2017 win over Mississippi State.
The opening frame saw a back-and-forth battle with both teams laying down key swings in the set. Johnson and Crook were pivotal pieces to push the Rebels lead to 12-9 after putting down seven kills combined in that span. Ole Miss would take a three-point lead into the media timeout, 15-12 behind a Keirstyn Carlton kill. Following the break, Crook would put down an emphatic solo block, that would lead to a Vivianna Samaniego ace and a Shayla Meyer kill that would extend the Rebel's lead to six, 18-12 and cause an Alabama timeout. Ole Miss would continue their dominance after the break, going on a 3-1 run to take a nine-point edge 21-12 into another Crimson Tide timeout. With no slowing down in sight, the Rebels would completely overpower Alabama and claim a set win, 25-17, to take a 1-0 match lead.
Ole Miss would get out to a fiery start to carry over the momentum from the prior set, taking an early 6-2 lead. Alabama would counter, going on a 6-1 run, to take a one-point advantage after a couple of kills and an ace. Once again, the Rebels would start to flex their muscles with Crook and Meyer tallying four kills combined to take a 15-10 lead into a media timeout. Coming out of the break, Alabama would tally two quick points to cut the lead to three, but Ole Miss would silence any offensive gains from the Crimson Tide to take an 18-12 lead and force an Alabama timeout. The Rebels extended the lead to 21-12 out of the timeout but Alabama would find some life to score four straight points of their own. After a huge block assist from Johnson and Ryea Jackson, the Rebels would take down the Crimson Tide, 25-19, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
With Ole Miss having all the momentum heading into set three, Alabama would flip the script early in the frame, getting out to a 3-0 lead with a block and an ace. The Rebels would get back into their groove after a kill from Johnson and a block assist from Crook and Carlton. After a few ties and lead changes, the Crimson Tide began to pull away taking an 8-5 lead and forcing a Rebel timeout. Following the timeout, the momentum remained in favor of Alabama with the Crimson Tide taking a 15-9 lead into the media break. After the pause in play, the Rebels would find themselves down 17-12 but would find a boost of energy and cut the lead down to two with an ace from Samaniego and a kill from Shayla Meyer that would force an Alabama timeout. Ole Miss continued to roar back and tie the match at 19-19. From then on, it would be a back-and-forth battle with the set coming down to the wire. The Ole Miss Rebels would deliver the final blow, with two service aces from Crook and an error from Alabama to complete the sweep, taking a 25-23 set win and a 3-0 victory.
Ole Miss will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 2, to continue SEC play, hosting Missouri at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed via SEC Network Plus.
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.
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
UM
UA
Kills
35
24
Errors
16
26
Attempts
83
89
Hitting %
.229
-.022
Points
52.0
38.0
Assists
34
20
Aces
8
9
Blocks
9
5
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
4
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
6
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