2009 Ole Miss Rebels Volleyball

Looking for current Ole Miss Rebels Volleyball info? Check out our 2010 Ole Miss Rebels Volleyball page.

The Ole Miss Lady Rebels find themselves in a very unique position when it comes to the SEC pecking order. They currently find themselves in somewhat of limbo state in the SEC. Not quite good enough to be a legitimate player in either the division, or the conference, but also, not nearly as bad enough of a team to be near the bottom half. 2009 looks like it could very well be a year in which the team decides once and for all the direction in which the team will head.

2008 in Review
In 2008, the Lady Rebels pretty much walked the Mendoza line all season long. The team ultimately finished the 2008 season with a combined overall record of 14 wins as opposed to 15 losses. The team managed a .500 record in the SEC, at 10-10 overall. The team had a good home record, of 8-5, but struggled on the road, as often is the case with lesser teams, managing only a 5-7 record overall.

What to Look for in 2009
The Lady Rebels have a particularly substantial burden of graduating seniors to overcome, with the losses of three key cogs of the 2008 team. The three seniors that will be leaving from last year's squad are Alison Weber, Rachel Kieckhafer, and Emily Jones. The loss of Weber is going to be of particular significance, as will be detailed below. The ability to compensate for her loss may be the single most important determining factor as to the ability if this team to elevate its game play this season.

One area in which the Lady Rebels are going to be entering the 2009 season relatively unscathed is at the attack. The Lady rebels are extremely deep up front, with 3 returning p0layers all averaging over 2 kills per game, and another averaging just under 2. The returning leader on the attack is Katie Norris, who averaged over 3 kills a gamer (3.03). Caitlin Wells is also a key attacker at 2.50 kills per game, as well as Regina Thomas at 2.35 kills per game. Miranda Kitts at 1.86 kills per game is going to be a significant player, as she will need to make up for the loss of Emily ones, who averaged 1.92 kills per game.

On defense, the team begins to see some real signs of the loss of its 2008 seniors. However, it doesn't necessarily affect us on the front line as much as it does in the back. All 3 of the teams leading blockers from 2008 are returning, in Regina Thomas (0.81), Miranda Kitts (0.78), Caitlin Keefe (0.55). It is going to be up to one of this trio to step up into the 1 block per game range to make this element of the team a real positive factor.

The area in which there will be a major loss from 2008 is when it comes to back line defense. The team leader in digs in 2008 was the now departed Alison Weber, who averaged 3.82 digs per game. Morgan Springer, who returns at 2.42 digs per game, is going to have a hard time shouldering much of this load, especially considering the 3rd place digger on last year's team., Rachel Kieckhafer, is also departing. Emily Kvitle, who managed 2.31 digs per game, will be another key contributor.

2009 Prediction
The Lady Rebels, despite playing in the weaker SEC West division, are still a ways away from being a legitimate competitor. The team is probably going to finish in the middle of the division, however, as it is clearly more put together than the lesser teams in the division.

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You can read more about last year's Ole Miss Rebels Volleyball at 2008 Ole Miss Rebels Volleyball.

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2009 Ole Miss Rebels Volleyball