BYU Downs Ole Miss, 3-0, To Advance In Tournament

Cougars make easy work of Rebels

Nov. 30, 2007

From Ole Miss Athletics

SEATTLE, Wash. (www.olemisssports.com) - For the second straight season the Rebels advanced to the NCAA Tournament, only to see the season come to an end in the first round as Ole Miss (25-8) fell to BYU (22-7) by a score of 3-0 (27-30, 21-30, 24-30).

The trio of seniors led the Rebels in the outing as Katie Kramer came up with a team-best 14 kills, while Lauren Moffett hit .333 and put down nine kills and seven blocks. Tara Langley came up with a match-high 15 digs.

"Obviously it's a disappointing way to end a wonderful year," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin. "Katie Kramer and Lauren Moffett played well, as did Tara Langley after she settled in after game one. The three seniors did a good job, but unfortunately it's a team game and we have to be better as a team.

"As this program continues to grow and we continue to get back here to the NCAA Tournament, we'll be more comfortable," Getzin said. "We did not look comfortable out there tonight."

BYU quickly moved out to a big lead on the Rebels, scoring the first five points of the match before the Rebels would get on the board from a solo block by Emily Jones. The Rebels called timeout at that point to regroup before clawing back into the match, putting together a run that cut the lead to 13-11 and forced BYU into a timeout.

The Cougars scored out of the break on a Rebel attack error as BYU moved the lead back out to three at 15-12. The Cougars used the run to move back out to a six-point advantage at 20-14 from there. Ole Miss cut into the lead, trimming it to four at 23-19, but called timeout on a Cougar score in the next rally that put the game at 24-19.

A service ace by BYU out of the break continued to scoring for the Cougars before the Rebels would again rally, cutting the lead to two at 28-26 on a service ace from Lauren Moffett that pushed BYU into a timeout.

The Cougars would claim two of the next three points out of the break, however, taking the first game 30-27.

Ole Miss fell behind again early in the first game on a pair of attack errors from the Rebels that gave BYU a 2-0 lead. A kill from Emily Jones on the next play got Ole Miss on the board. The Cougars continued to block Rebel attacks, though, pulling out to a 6-1 lead.

The Rebels cut into the lead, pulling within two at 9-7, but BYU again managed to put together a run that pushed the Cougars back on top by four. Ole Miss called timeout down 11-7 following a  Cougars service ace as called by the line judge.

Again Ole Miss would rally and cut the lead to one at 11-10 only to have the Cougars again surge out in front. The Rebels fought back to tie things at 15 but a kill from BYU moved the Cougars back into the lead once again. Ole Miss claimed its first lead at 17-16 on a BYU attack error.

The lead went back to the Cougars as BYU claimed three straight scores on a kill, Rebel attack error and service ace. The Rebels would again fight back to tie the game at 19, only to see the advantage move back the way of BYU on the next rally. Ole Miss would call timeout down 23-20.

Ole Miss scored out of the break on a kill from Moffett, only to give the next point back on a service error. The Cougars stormed out to the game two win from there, capitalizing on repeated attack errors from Ole Miss in the 30-21 win.

Nicole Mahan put down the first two kills of the third game to get the Rebels on the board. BYU answered, however, with three quick points off Ole Miss attack errors. The squads went back and forth on scores before BYU claimed a two point edge at 12-10. The two teams went into timeout with the score standing at 15-11 in favor of the Cougars.

Ole Miss cut the lead to three at 17-14, but BYU again managed to extend the lead. The Rebels would once again cut the lead to two at 21-19, but called timeout when the Cougars moved back out to three points at 23-20.

BYU continued to push out of the break, taking the lead to 27-23 and forcing Ole Miss into a second timeout. The Cougars claimed the match from there with a 30-24 win in game three.