UNIVERSITY RELEASE — Originally published by Ole Miss Athletics, Sept. 18, 2026.
Ole Miss opened the Jayhawk Classic on the wrong end of a sweep, falling 3-0 at No. 22 Kansas on Friday night at the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena in Lawrence. The Rebels drop to 6-4 (0-0 SEC); the Jayhawks move to 6-3 (0-0 Big 12).
Set Scores
Kansas 3, Ole Miss 0 — 25-19, 25-22, 25-13
Who Did It
- Melia Johnson — eight kills and three digs to lead the Rebels
- Keirstyn Carlton — back from injury with four kills on .444 hitting and four blocks
- Jaidyn Hartsfield — four kills and four blocks
- Shayla Meyer — four kills, two aces and a block
How It Went
The opener stayed close into the technical timeout. Ole Miss took what Kansas gave it — six Jayhawk service errors before the break — and Meyer added three swings that kept the set at 15-14. Then Kansas found a run, pushed out to 19-15 and never gave the lead back. Kills from Carly Paugh and Carlton were not enough, and the hosts closed it 25-19.
The second set was the one that got away. The Rebel block came alive early, and two stuffs alongside a pair of Kansas errors trying to hit around it built a 9-6 Ole Miss lead. Kansas erased the deficit and led 20-16, but the Rebels answered with a 4-0 run — a Meyer ace, then a Carlton-Hartsfield block — to tie it at 20-20. Ole Miss appeared to level it again at 21-21, only for a challenge to reverse the call. Kansas held the lead the rest of the way and took the set 25-22.
There was no such tension in the third. Kansas forced a quick Rebel timeout at 11-7, stretched it to 15-10 by the technical, and finished the sweep 25-13.
The numbers tell the rest of it. Kansas hit .402 to the Rebels’ .141, out-killed Ole Miss 47-25 and served nine aces to two. The block was the one column Ole Miss held even, at five apiece.
Up Next
The Rebels close the Jayhawk Classic against Grand Canyon on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT, streaming on ESPN+.
📄 Read the full university release: Volleyball Falls at No. 22 Kansas → (OleMissSports.com)