Courtesy: Ole Miss Athletics
OXFORD, Miss. –Ole Miss volleyball’s first season back in the newly renovated Gillom Athletics Performance Center couldn’t have gone much better. Coming off a an NIVC title in 2017 and record attendance, the Rebels announced the 2018 schedule.
The 2018 slate includes one home tournament, nine home Southeastern Conference matches and nine matches against 2017 NCAA Tournament teams.
Schedule at a glance…
- Ole Miss will face five teams who made the NCAA Tournament last year, including SEC Co-Champion and NCAA runner-up Florida twice as well as Kentucky, who reached the NCAA Elite Eight, twice.
- Ole Miss will open the season in senior Caitlin Wernentin’s home state of Iowa at the Iowa State Tournament in Ames. The field includes Iowa State, Virginia and Oregon State.
- While the football team kicks off its 2018 campaign in Houston, volleyball will be hosting the Rebel Invitational August 31-Sept. 2. The field includes Ohio State from the Big Ten and Arkansas-Little Rock, Southern Mississippi and Samford.
- Other non-conference tournaments include Georgia State’s tournament in Atlanta and a trip to Houston for the Rice Tournament, not far from junior Nayo Warnell’s hometown (Dickinson). The Georgia State tournament includes Sam Houston State and Chicago State as well as the host GSU. The Rice tournament features Austin Peay and McNeese State in addition to the host Owls.
- For the third time in four years, the Rebels will kick off SEC play against Florida, traveling to Gainesville on Sept. 21 for the first of two meetings between the two teams.
- The Rebels beat Georgia two of three meetings in 2017 and their home opening SEC match will be against the Bulldogs on Sept. 28. Other home contests include Auburn (Sept. 30), LSU (Oct. 7), Missouri (Oct. 12), Florida (Oct. 19), Mississippi State (Oct. 21), Tennessee (Nov. 2), Kentucky (Nov. 4) and Alabama (Nov. 18).
- In addition to Florida, the Rebels will travel to Arkansas (Oct. 5), Kentucky (Oct. 14), Auburn (Oct. 26), Alabama (Oct. 28), LSU (Nov. 7), Texas A&M (Nov. 11), South Carolina (Nov. 16) and Tennessee (Nov. 24).
The Rebels return 13 players from 2017, including the single-season kills record holder, outside hitter Emily Stroup, and single-season digs record holder, libero Caroline Adams. Both setters Jordan Fate and Lauren Bars return as well as starting middle blockers Nayo Warnell and Bayleigh Scott.
Ole Miss’ four-member recruiting class recently earned highest honorable mention from PrepVolleyball.com.
The full TV schedule will be released later this summer to include game times and TV designations. All home games not on TV will be available on SEC Network + via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
2018 Ole Miss Schedule
Iowa State Tournament (Ames, Iowa)
8/24 vs. Virginia
8/24 at Iowa State
8/25 vs. Oregon State
Rebel Invitational (Oxford, Mississippi)
8/31 vs. Samford
8/31 vs. Ohio State
9/01 vs. Little Rock
9/02 vs. Southern Miss
Georgia State Tournament (Atlanta, Georgia)
9/7 vs. Chicago State
9/8 vs. Sam Houston State
9/8 at Georgia State
9/11 vs. Memphis
Rice Tournament (Houston, Texas)
9/14 at Rice
9/14 vs. Austin Peay
9/15 vs. McNeese State
9/21 at Florida *
9/28 vs. Georgia *
9/30 vs. Auburn *
10/5 at Arkansas *
10/7 vs. LSU *
10/12 vs. Missouri *
10/14 at Kentucky *
10/19 vs. Florida *
10/21 vs. Mississippi State *
10/26 at Auburn *
10/28 at Alabama *
11/2 vs. Tennessee *
11/4 vs. Kentucky *
11/7 at LSU *
TBA at Texas A&M *
11/16 at South Carolina *
11/18 vs. Alabama *
11/24 at Tennessee*
* – SEC match
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