The Preview: Ole Miss Rebels Volleyball vs. Miami Hurricanes in SEC/ACC Showdown

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss volleyball program continues their strong season-opening schedule with a trip to Miami on Wednesday, to compete in the inaugural 'Showdown at the Net' between SEC and ACC programs.

The Rebels (3-2, 0-0 SEC) will clash with the Hurricanes (4-1, 0-0 ACC), who have received votes in the latest AVCA national rankings.

The matchup is one of 16 between the ACC and SEC in a series of matches over two days and will tip off at 5:30 p.m. CT on ACCNX.

RALLY POINTS
- The Rebels are set to face Miami in the 'Showdown at the Net', a brand-new clash between both the ACC and SEC. Matches will take place across Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Senior Mokihana Tufono was named to the Preseason All-SEC Team ahead of the 2025 campaign and has continued her high-level play, recording her ninth career 50-assist match in a win over Wyoming.
- The Rebels held Wofford to a -.102 hitting percentage on Aug. 31, good for the lowest total by an opponent against the Rebels since a 2009 win over Alcorn State.
- Cammy Niesen continues rank among the best liberos in the game, ranking eighth nationally on the career active digs leader list.
- Niesen now stands at 1,470 career digs, with the total ranking second all-time at Ole Miss and just 162 away from the all-time record.
- Junior Gabi Placide has made an immediate impact since coming to Oxford, ranking second in the SEC with 84 kills and second in the SEC in points with 97.0 through the first two weeks of the season.

SERIES HISTORY
The Rebels renew their all-time series on Wednesday against Miami, trailing 5-2 in the all-time ledger. The Rebels are seeking their first win over the Hurricanes since 1984, with only one meeting between the two sides since that date, coming in 2012. 2012 was the lone trip to Coral Gables for the Rebels, with Miami emerging in a 3-2 victory.

LAST TIME OUT
Ole Miss turned in a 1-1 performance at the SDSU Invitational, capping off the weekend in Brookings, S.D., with a 3-1 win over Wyoming. The Rebels were led by dominant performances in that match from Gabi Placide (21 kills on .391 hitting) and Melia Johnson (a career-high 17 kills on .452 hitting). Mokihana Tufono also shined with her first double-double of the season in a 50-assist, 11-dig performance. Cameron Bradley also added 12 digs for a new career-best.

CAN YOU DIG IT?
Senior libero Cammy Niesen enters her final collegiate season with eyes on not only setting, but ultimately smashing the program's all-eras dig record.

The 2024 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year has been a model of consistency her entire career and stands just 162 digs away from setting a new record that is currently held by Morgan Springer.

Niesen has quietly emerged as one of the best liberos in the SEC over her dynamic career. Last season, Niesen led the SEC in total digs with 537, which also ranked 33rd in the nation.

Niesen's digs per set stood at third in the SEC at 4.48, just marginally behind Missouri's Maya Sands (4.53) and Arkansas' recent graduate Courtney Jackson (4.49).

In fact, Niesen ranks eighth in the NCAA on the active digs leaderboard with 1,470.

Active Leaders
1. Emma Hickey, Valparaiso - 2,199
2. Lauren Lindseth, Montana State - 1,593
3. Maya Sands, Missouri - 1,559
4. LonDynn Betts, West Virginia - 1,510
5. Emma Farrell, Wake Forest - 1,490
6. Campbell Jensen, UC Irvine - 1,487
7. Ella Voegele, St. Thomas - 1,477
8. Cammy Niesen, Ole Miss - 1,470
9. Breanna Mitchell, Boise State - 1,419
10. Kamryn Farris, South Dakota - 1,367

FILLING THE VOID
While the Rebels have had to replace much of their offensive attack from 2024, several newcomers have immediately stepped up.

The hitters are led by transfer Gabi Placide, who surged to 84 kills and a .243 hitting percentage through the first five matches of the season and already ranks second in the SEC in total kills.

Redshirt freshman Melia Johnson has also stepped up, opening her collegiate career with 10 or more kills in four of her first five collegiate matches.

HONORED BY THE SEC
Setter Mokihana Tufono, who turned heads in her debut season in Oxford, was named to the All-SEC Preseason Team earlier this offseason.

Tufono, who started her collegiate career at UCLA, developed into one of the top setters in the conference under head coach Bre Henry, earning AVCA All-South Region honors and recording 1,173 assists. Tufono also notched 286 digs, 60.0 total blocks, 43 kills and 21 service aces.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
Throughout the entirety of the 2025 season, Ole Miss athletics and the volleyball program will honor and recognize many who have contributed to the success and legacy of the program over 50 years of volleyball.

The program has tallied over 800 wins, reached five NCAA Tournaments and won the 2017 NIVC championship. Nineteen student-athletes have earned All-SEC honors, 16 have earned AVCA All-Region and three have been named All-Americans as the program has blossomed over generations of standout student-athletes.

The success of the program has built on the foundation of countless student-athletes who have gone on to earn a degree from the University of Mississippi and take their talents throughout the world.

CLIMBING THE LADDER
Several Rebels are poised to etch their names in the all-time record books in 2025 across multiple different metrics.

In addition to her pursuit of the all-eras digs record at Ole Miss, Cammy Niesen is also poised to enter the top-10 all-time in service aces, with 59 in her career. That stands just 10 outside the rally scoring era's top-10. Shayla Meyer also has her sights on the same list, standing at 48 service aces across just over two seasons of action.

Mokihana Tufono continues her rapid ascent of the assists charts in her short time at Ole Miss. Tufono currently sits ninth all-time in the rally scoring era with 1,370 and 16th across all eras, despite only playing just 33 matches as a Rebel.

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