Seniors Shine as Ole Miss Volleyball Unseats No. 21 Florida State in NCAA First Round

OMAHA, Neb. – (Release) On an eventful night at the D.J. Sokol Arena, the Ole Miss volleyball program made history, taking down No. 21 and seventh-seeded Florida State, 3-2 on Thursday night, to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Rebels earned their first NCAA Tournament victory in program history in their fifth tournament. It also marked the program’s first ranked win since defeating No. 15 Western Kentucky, 3-1, on September 10, 2021.

They did it! @OleMissVB wins the first game EVER for the program in the NCAA tournament! They came from behind and beat Florida State in five sets. Congrats to @BreHenry13 and the Rebels for a gritty win! ❤️💙🏐#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/LnCcApT6BP

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) December 6, 2024

Additionally, Sasha Ratliff became the program’s all-time leader across all eras in total blocks, matching a career-high with nine blocks, alongside 13 kills, and moving to 507 career blocks, passing Genevieve Shy (502) for first place.

It was a historic night across the board, as Payton Brgoch led the team with a career-high and NCAA Tournament program-high 19 kills and eight blocks on a .500 hitting percentage. Nia Washington added 16 kills, a career-high six blocks, a career-high five service aces and six digs. Mokihana Tufono matched her career-high with 59 assists, alongside 12 digs, while Shayla Meyer added a double-double of 13 kills and 16 digs in her home state of Nebraska.

The evening opened with some high percentage hitting from both sides, with neither side giving an inch to begin the day. Even through the first ten points, back-to-back kills from Meyer and Brgoch gave the Rebels a 7-5 lead, but the Seminoles answered with three straight points. The Seminoles extended the lead to 15-12, but the Rebels struck back, outscoring the Seminoles 8-4 to retake a 20-19 advantage on a Washington kill. However, the Seminoles finally found some momentum, going on a 6-0 run to end the opening set, and take it 25-20.

Momentum began to swing in the second set, with a quick 3-0 start behind two Washington service aces. The Seminoles were able to get it back to a 9-9 tie, but Cammy Niesen stepped up for a strong run of serve to guide the Rebels on a 4-0 run and force Florida State into a timeout. Washington continued her torrid pace from there, with yet another service ace and two more kills, while the blocking unit of Brgoch and Ratliff stepped up as the Rebels began to pull away. Ultimately, the Rebels surged ahead to win the second set, 25-16.

The Rebels carried momentum from the set win to surge in front with a 11-6 lead, as Ratliff tallied multiple kills and continued her high-level blocking. With their backs against the wall, the Seminoles began to chip away and after the Rebels took a 15-11 lead, the Seminoles rattled off eight straight points to jump ahead 19-15. Ratliff quickly pitched in two more blocks and the Rebels were able to tie the match at 20-20, 21-21 and 23-23. However, the Seminoles got the final two points to secure a 2-1 lead.

Needing an answer, the Rebels came out of the break on fire, opening with a 10-4 advantage. Three kills and a block by Brgoch set the tone, as the Rebels quickly corrected their lowest hitting set by opening with their highest, hitting .343 in the fourth set. However, the Seminoles promptly went on a 5-0 run and crawled all the way back to take a 15-14 lead. Down 21-19 late in the fourth, the Rebels answered the pressure. Kills by Washington and Ratliff got the set back on serve, before Sommer Daniel entered the match. The senior delivered a critical service ace and kept up the strong serving to set up an eventual block by Brgoch and Tufono. Ole Miss earned their first set point at 24-23, but the Seminoles saved it and promptly got their own match point at 25-24. Facing the end of their season, the Rebels won a long rally and finished it off with an emphatic block by Brgoch and Meyer. That proved to be enough, as Meyer recorded a service ace, followed by another strong serve that found its way back over the net to set up a kill by Brgoch to win 27-25.

With the confidence flowing, the Rebels jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the decisive fifth set, as Daniel delivered more critical serving. The Seminoles would not go quietly, slowing chipping away, as the Rebels got clinical offense from Meyer and Ratliff down the stretch. After another Rebel block, the Seminoles trailed 12-8, but managed to erase the lead completely and tie the match at 12-12. Ole Miss jumped back ahead with a Meyer kill, but the play of the game came just after, as Bailee Middleton dug out a vicious attack that landed in on the other side of the net for a Rebel point. After a Florida State kill, Brgoch sealed the match with an emphatic swing to win the set 15-13.

Just the beginning 👏

The first NCAA win in the Bre Henry Era! @NCAAVolleyball | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/w24vcZfJyY

— Ole Miss Volleyball (@OleMissVB) December 6, 2024

The Rebels advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they will face second-seeded and No. 6 ranked Creighton on Friday, December 6 at 7 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN Plus.