| A-State INVITATIONAL Aug. 30-31 Jonesboro, Ark. First National Bank Arena |
| ||||||
| Ole Miss Notes (PDF)•SEC Notes (PDF) | ||||||||
| Friday, Aug. 30 vs. Saint Louis 10 a.m. CT | Friday, Aug. 30 at Arkansas State 7 p.m. CT  | Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. SEMO 11 a.m. CT |
| Live Stats | Watch • Live Stats | Live Stats |
JONESBORO, Ark. –The 2024 regular season officially begins this weekend, as Ole Miss volleyball travels to Arkansas State for the A-State Invitational, on Friday, August 30 and Saturday, August 31.
The Rebels will open the 2024 slate against Saint Louis on Friday at 10 a.m. CT before facing the host Arkansas State later that night at 7 p.m. CT. Saturday concludes the invitational, as the Rebels face SEMO at 11 a.m. CT.
RALLY POINTS
- Entering her third full season as head coach of Ole Miss, Bre Henry has brought in two new staff members to bolster the program: Savannah Rennie as an assistant coach and Madison Crask as the tech coordinator.
- Sasha Ratliff, a two-time All-SEC Team member, was one of 18 student-athletes named to the conference's preseason team. She looks to become the second-ever Rebel to earn three All-Conference nods in her career.
- Four years playing collegiate volleyball just wasn't enough for Payton Brgoch, Sommer Daniel and Sasha Ratliff, who chose to utilize their extra year of eligibility and return for a fifth season.
- The Rebels feature a lot of veteran experience in 2024, with seven seniors on the roster.
- Ole Miss welcomes a trio of highly touted transfers in Emma Ammerman, Ragan Kinard and Mokihana Tufono.
SERIES HISTORY
- Ole Miss is set to clash with Saint Louis for the fourth time, but just the first in the all-time series since 1989. The Rebels have won all three previous matchups.
- The Rebels will resume their lengthy, all-time series against Arkansas State and hold a 37-21 lead in the ledger. Ole Miss won the last meeting, 3-1, en route to the 2017 NIVC championship title.
- Ole Miss will meet SEMO for only the second-time in program history, having won the lone matchup back in 2006.
BACK FOR MORE
After strong senior campaigns in 2023, Payton Brgoch, Sommer Daniel and Sasha Ratliff have all returned for their fifth season as a Rebel, with eyes on helping Ole Miss reach newheights in 2024.
Brgoch and Ratliff form a dynamic duo at the net, ranking first and second on the team inblocks, with 111 and 104, respectively in 2023. Ratliff led the Rebels with 249 kills, whileBrgoch was close behind with 221 kills in third on the team.
Ratliff was recently named to the SEC's preseason team, as of 18 student-athletes in theconference to be selected. The Atlanta, Ga., native is seeking to become the second-everRebel to earn three All-Conference honors in their career.
Daniel also returns to Mississippi for a third season in Oxford and fifth overall, after tallyinga career-high 304 assists, along with 74 digs in 2023. The Tipton, Iowa native will bringcontinued leadership for the setter corps of Mokihana Tufono and Carson Eickenloff.
ONE YEAR STRONGER
Following strong campaigns in 2023, the Rebels will see the return of several additionalimpact players in 2024.
Julia Dyess proved to be a key player for the Rebels last season, tallying 222 kills and 2.41kills per set. Dyess will be joined by Shayla Meyer (102 kills and 119 digs), Vivian Miller(150 kills and a team-high 2.46 kills per set) and Nia Washington (146 kills and 30 blocks).
In addition to the returns of Brgoch and Ratliff, the Rebels return 81.1 percent of the team's kills from 2023 and feature a solid core of returning players.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Blocking runs in the Ratliff family. Over her career, Ole Miss middle blocker Sasha Ratliff has quickly climbed into the top-10 in the record books, ranking second all-time in the rally scoring era with 395 total blocks, second in block assists with 317 and third in solo blocks with 78. A dominant force at the net, Ratliff has tallied 100-plus blocks in each of her last three seasons and is looking to do it a fourth straight time as she enters her fifth year as a Rebel. Her knack for blocking comes from her father, Theo, who was a shot blocker too. One of basketball's best, he ranks 20th in NBA history with nearly 2,000 blocks in his 16-year career.
NEW BLOOD
Despite several returning players, head coach Bre Henry has strengthened the core of theroster with multiple transfers.
Setter Mokihana Tufono joins the Rebels via UCLA, where she appeared in 46 matches andtallied 134 sets. The Aiea, Hawaii, native will have two seasons of eligibility remaining andfactors into the mix at the setter position in 2024. Notably, Tufono tied the UCLA single-matchrecord for service aces with eight at Oregon (Nov. 18, 2022).
Emma Ammerman and Ragan Kinard also join the program after transferring in via Pepperdineand South Florida, respectively. Ammerman has played in nearly 100 matches in her time inMalibu, tallying 444 kills and averaging 1.63 per set on a .212 hitting percentage. Kinardplayed in nearly 50 matches in her time at South Florida and helped the Bulls finish first in theAmerican in 2023.
CLIMBING THE LADDER
Several Rebels are poised to etch their names in the all-time record books in 2024 acrossmultiple different metrics.
Sasha Ratliff and Payton Brgoch are seeking to end their careers at No. 1 and No. 2 on theall-time blocks list (post rally scoring), with Ratliff currently standing at No. 2 (395) andBrgoch at No. 5 (338).
Ratliff needs 41 more blocks to set the all-time record held by Nakeyta Clair (2012-15),while Brgoch is just five away from moving into fourth all-time.
Cammy Niesen also has her eyes on the top-10 all-time at Ole Miss, standing at 858 career digs, which is just 121 away from cracking the ledger.
LEADING THE PACK
Head coach Bre Henry will be bolstered by the most senior-laden lineup of her tenure atOle Miss and one of the largest senior groups in recent memory.
The Rebels feature seven seniors in 2024, which is the team's largest senior class since atleast 2010. The returners have allowed coach Henry's efforts on setting team culture to setin, during her second full season at the helm and third overall.
THE STORY CONTINUES
With the 2024 season finally here, Bre Henry and the Rebels are looking to improve bothon and off the court by living out their team motto for the year: the story continues. Thestudent-athletes devised this saying based off NBA star Kobe Bryant who didn't believein failure, but instead saw each day as a new opportunity to show up and succeed. Henrywants her athletes to use this as a motivator to appreciate the journey more than thedestination and give their best effort every single day, knowing that tomorrow will always bea new opportunity to improve.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Volleyball on X at@OleMissVB, on Instagramat @olemissvband on Facebook atOle Miss Volleyball.See exclusivephoto and video content from behind the scenes and connect in real time with everything Ole Miss.
