How It Happened: Ole Miss Volleyball Takes Down LSU Tigers 3-0 in SEC Tournament

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Behind a career-high in hitting percentage from Shayla Meyer, the Ole Miss volleyball program rolled to a 3-0 victory over 11th-seeded LSU in the opening round of the Allstate SEC Volleyball Tournament at Enmarket Arena.

Meyer led the Rebels (13-14, 4-11 SEC), tallying 17 kills on a career-best .600 hitting percentage, while adding seven digs.

Melia Johnson also shined, tallying 13 kills on .292 hitting. Mokihana Tufono added a double-double of 37 assists and 10 digs. Jurnee Robinson led the Tigers (13-14, 6-9 SEC) with eight kills.

Both sides opened slowly, but the Rebels were the first to gain momentum in the match. Some service errors by LSU sparked a charge for Ole Miss, as the freshmen Johnson and Carly Paugh got some momentum going with a pair of kills for a 10-5 advantage.

That lead ballooned to 19-9 as Meyer notched a pair of kills and Cammy Niesen added a service ace. Johnson took over from there, tallying three of the last five points on kills and taking the set, 25-13.

Meyer and Johnson continued to be the catalyst for the offense in the second set, weathering an early 4-2 LSU to reestablish a 9-6 advantage.

The lead hovered around three until a back-breaking, 5-0 run that was spearheaded by three kills from Johnson helped give Ole Miss a commanding 18-10 advantage. It was Meyer's turn from there, as Meyer remained efficient and surged to four late kills to put away another comfortable, 25-13 win.

The Rebels faced the stiffest test in the third set, with both sides trading blows for a 9-9 start. A momentum swing was powered by a kill and a massive block by Placide on Robinson that helped the Rebels create a three-point gap.

Each time the Tigers mounted a response, the Rebels punched back, with clutch swings from Johnson, Meyer and Tessa Jones. Meyer put the match on ice with five consecutive kills, before an error sealed the set at 25-18.

The Rebels continue action in the SEC Tournament on Saturday, as the Rebels face off against No. 6 seed Missouri in the second round. The match is slated for approximately 6 p.m. CT, and will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.

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