Saturday, December 9
Oxford, Miss.
5:30 P.M.
West Virginia University
vs
Ole Miss
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Heads to Ole Miss for NIVC Semifinals
December 08, 2017 07:16 PM | Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. – The West Virginia University volleyball team hits the road for the first time in the National Volleyball Invitational Championship (NIVC), as the team heads to Oxford, Mississippi, for a NIVC Semifinal match-up against Ole Miss on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 5:30 p.m. ET.
For those fans who can't make it to Oxford, Saturday's match will be broadcasted live through the SEC Network via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
"We've worked hard to get to this point, so we have to make the best of it now," said third-year coach Reed Sunahara. "Ole Miss is a tough team. They are a well-balanced team, and they are well coached. Steve [McRoberts] has done a nice job down there, and they have some good players. They beat Georgia in three sets last Sunday. They are a tough team at home, and they are playing well right now. We are looking forward to the challenge."
The Mountaineers (21-12) advance to the semifinals for the first time in program history with a commanding 3-0 win over former BIG EAST foe Syracuse on Monday. WVU took the victory in set scores of 25-22, 25-22 and 25-18 to earn its 11th sweep of the season. Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey led the Mountaineers for the fourth straight match, hitting .250 with 19 kills. West Virginia finished the match hitting .205 with 49 kills on 132 swings and four team blocks.
Ole Miss (20-14) advanced to the semifinals of the NIVC Tournament with a 3-0 victory over Georgia last Sunday. With the win, the Rebels have now won six of their last seven matches. Sophomore Emily Stroup posted 15 kills on a .433 attack percentage to lead the Rebels in their win over the Bulldogs. Ole Miss hit .290 in the match with 38 kills on 100 swings and eight team blocks.
Saturday's winner will face Texas Tech in the NIVC Championship on Tuesday, Dec. 12. The championship match, hosted at one of the two remaining schools, will be streamed live through WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
The Mountaineers are seeking their first-ever postseason championship appearance in program history. Originally known as the Women's Invitational Volleyball Championship (WIVC), the NIVC Tournament returned from a 22-year hiatus this season. West Virginia's 1991 squad played in the round-robin WIVC Tournament, winning two matches over Notre Dame and Drexel in the process.
West Virginia will square off against Ole Miss for the third time on Saturday, with the all-time series tied at 1-1 after two neutral site meetings. The two squads last met on Sept. 8, 2000, with Ole Miss capturing the four-set victory in Lawrence, Kansas. The last time West Virginia knocked off the Rebels was in 1997, claiming the victory in four sets in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Mountaineers have won six of their last seven matches and are traveling for the first time since their top-25 win over then-No. 14 Kansas on Nov. 25. West Virginia is currently 5-7 on the road this season.
WVU and Ole Miss' lone common opponent this season was Tennessee. The Mountaineers swept Tennessee, 3-0, on Sept. 2 at the Diet Coke Classic held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Rebels dropped a four-set match to the Volunteers, 3-1, in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Nov. 17.
Through 33 matches, Caffrey leads the Mountaineers in kills with 436, sophomore setter Erin Slinde leads in assists with 939, freshman defensive specialist Alexa Hasting leads in digs with 322, and senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan leads the team in blocking at 142.0. Caffrey also leads the squad with 57 service aces on the year. As a team, West Virginia is hitting .227 and holding its opponents to a .190 clip.
Of note, The Mountaineers have won 21 matches in a season for the first time since a 26-11 campaign in 1991, the only time before 2017 that the Mountaineers made the postseason. With the 21 wins this year, Sunahara has earned his highest win total as head coach of the Mountaineers.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
For those fans who can't make it to Oxford, Saturday's match will be broadcasted live through the SEC Network via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
"We've worked hard to get to this point, so we have to make the best of it now," said third-year coach Reed Sunahara. "Ole Miss is a tough team. They are a well-balanced team, and they are well coached. Steve [McRoberts] has done a nice job down there, and they have some good players. They beat Georgia in three sets last Sunday. They are a tough team at home, and they are playing well right now. We are looking forward to the challenge."
The Mountaineers (21-12) advance to the semifinals for the first time in program history with a commanding 3-0 win over former BIG EAST foe Syracuse on Monday. WVU took the victory in set scores of 25-22, 25-22 and 25-18 to earn its 11th sweep of the season. Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey led the Mountaineers for the fourth straight match, hitting .250 with 19 kills. West Virginia finished the match hitting .205 with 49 kills on 132 swings and four team blocks.
Ole Miss (20-14) advanced to the semifinals of the NIVC Tournament with a 3-0 victory over Georgia last Sunday. With the win, the Rebels have now won six of their last seven matches. Sophomore Emily Stroup posted 15 kills on a .433 attack percentage to lead the Rebels in their win over the Bulldogs. Ole Miss hit .290 in the match with 38 kills on 100 swings and eight team blocks.
Saturday's winner will face Texas Tech in the NIVC Championship on Tuesday, Dec. 12. The championship match, hosted at one of the two remaining schools, will be streamed live through WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
The Mountaineers are seeking their first-ever postseason championship appearance in program history. Originally known as the Women's Invitational Volleyball Championship (WIVC), the NIVC Tournament returned from a 22-year hiatus this season. West Virginia's 1991 squad played in the round-robin WIVC Tournament, winning two matches over Notre Dame and Drexel in the process.
West Virginia will square off against Ole Miss for the third time on Saturday, with the all-time series tied at 1-1 after two neutral site meetings. The two squads last met on Sept. 8, 2000, with Ole Miss capturing the four-set victory in Lawrence, Kansas. The last time West Virginia knocked off the Rebels was in 1997, claiming the victory in four sets in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Mountaineers have won six of their last seven matches and are traveling for the first time since their top-25 win over then-No. 14 Kansas on Nov. 25. West Virginia is currently 5-7 on the road this season.
WVU and Ole Miss' lone common opponent this season was Tennessee. The Mountaineers swept Tennessee, 3-0, on Sept. 2 at the Diet Coke Classic held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Rebels dropped a four-set match to the Volunteers, 3-1, in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Nov. 17.
Through 33 matches, Caffrey leads the Mountaineers in kills with 436, sophomore setter Erin Slinde leads in assists with 939, freshman defensive specialist Alexa Hasting leads in digs with 322, and senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan leads the team in blocking at 142.0. Caffrey also leads the squad with 57 service aces on the year. As a team, West Virginia is hitting .227 and holding its opponents to a .190 clip.
Of note, The Mountaineers have won 21 matches in a season for the first time since a 26-11 campaign in 1991, the only time before 2017 that the Mountaineers made the postseason. With the 21 wins this year, Sunahara has earned his highest win total as head coach of the Mountaineers.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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