NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt volleyball setter Isabella Bareford reached a career milestone of 4,000 assists on Sunday afternoon.
The Commodores (5-12, 1-7 SEC) posted 10-plus blocks for the second straight match, and three student-athletes registered double-digit kills, but fell in five sets (19-25, 25-15, 28-26, 19-25, 15-11) to Ole Miss (10-9, 2-6 SEC).
Bareford recorded 46 assists and five digs in the match. Reese Animashaun led Vanderbilt in kills with 15. She also tallied 12 digs, recording her fourth double-double of the season. Mia Soerensen posted a season-high 12 kills and added four blocks to her stat line. Making her first collegiate start, freshman Maya Witherspoon amassed eight kills, 12 digs, five blocks and a pair of service aces. Vanderbilt’s defensive efforts were paced by Jackie Moore, who recorded a season-high eight blocks, and Elli Kinney, who tallied 18 digs, matching her career high. Moore also contributed 10 kills for Vandy.
Ole Miss’ offensive attack was led by Gabi Placide’s 25 kills and aided by 14 kills from Shayla Meyer. Both Placide and Meyer recorded double-doubles, registering 10 and 11 digs, respectively. Tessa Jones and Placide led the Rebels in blocking with six each. Libero Cammy Niesen recorded 25 digs, holding the Commodores to a .197 hitting efficiency.
Vanderbilt recorded a 25-19 win in an offensively efficient first set. The team hit .433 and recorded a sideout percentage of 70 percent. The Commodores never trailed the opening set, at one point leading by as many as six points.
Momentum shifted in the second set, which Ole Miss won 25-15. The Rebels out-dug the Dores 17-9 and held Vandy to a .000 hitting percentage.
Vanderbilt responded in the third set, building an 18-10 lead. Soerensen hit .545 and recorded six kills in set 3. Despite the strong start from the Commodores, Ole Miss went on several scoring runs to tie the set at 23 all. The two squads went back-and-forth, but the Rebels emerged with the 28-26 win.
While the fourth set started out neck-and-neck, the Dores pulled away at point 10 to take the set by a score of 25-19 and force set 5.
Vandy fell in the final set, 15-11. Ole Miss hit .409 as a team, while holding the Commodores to a .190 hitting efficiency.
Next up, Vanderbilt faces Georgia Friday at 7 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium on SEC Network+.
