0-7
Ole Miss
3-6
Late Rally Sends Ole Miss Past Bulls
9/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
OXFORD, MS – For the first time this season the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York volleyball team played a five-set match, but despite taking a 2-0 lead, the Bulls fell to the host Rebels, 3-2.
Ole Miss took the match 25-27, 21-25, 25-22, 25-15, 15-7 as the Rebels improved to 9-1 on the season. UB, which was looking for its first ever win over an SEC school, had to fight its way back in the first set as Ole Miss was leading 16-12. The Bulls scored four straight points to tie it up, but Ole Miss went back ahead 22-20. Down 22-21, sophomore Tessa Ooyama recorded back-to-back service aces giving the Bulls a 23-22 lead. The Rebels were able to fight off two set points before an ace from senior Amber Hatchett gave the Bulls the opening set.
UB raced out to a 15-11 lead in set number two and continued to dominate for much of the set. A kill from senior Megan Lipski gave the Bulls a 21-16 lead and a kill from senior Akeila Lain clinched the set and gave the Bulls a 2-0 lead.
However, following the intermission the host Rebels fought back in the match. Ole Miss took a 12-7 lead in the third set, but a kill from Hatchett concluded an 8-2 run, which put the Bulls up 15-14. UB continued to lead 19-18 when Ole Miss went on a 4-0 run to take a 22-19 lead. UB got within 22-20, but the Rebels clinched the set with the final three points.
Ole Miss began to take over in the fourth with a 25-15 win to send the match to five sets and from there the Rebels opened the fifth on a 10-2 run, en route to a 15-7 win.
Lipski led the Bulls with 14 kills and 14 digs to notch the double-double. Hatchett, Lain, and sophomore Cassie Shado each added 10 kills. Senior Marissa Prinzbach ran the offense as she had a season-high 45 assists, which led all players in the match.
Defensively, Ooyama finished with a career-high 14 digs as she started at libero for the first time in her career. She also finished with a team-high three aces. Sophomore Niki Bozinoski added 11 digs. The Bulls finished with 7.0 blocks led by five from Shado, including two solos.
The Bulls continue play tonight at the Rebel Classic as they face Belmont at 8:30 pm EST.
