UNIVERSITY RELEASE — Originally published by Ole Miss Athletics, Sept. 27, 2026.
Ole Miss opened SEC play by taking Alabama’s offense away entirely. The Rebels swept the Crimson Tide 3-0 on Sunday afternoon at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa, holding the hosts to a hitting percentage of minus .022 — the first time Ole Miss has held an SEC opponent to negative hitting since a 2017 win over Mississippi State. The Rebels are 7-5 and 1-0 in the conference; Alabama falls to 8-3 and 0-2.
Set Scores
Ole Miss 3, Alabama 0 — 25-17, 25-19, 25-23
Who Did It
- Melia Johnson — 13 kills
- Jorda Crook — nine kills, two aces, four blocks
- Johnson and Crook combined for 22 kills and seven blocks on the afternoon
- Shayla Meyer, Keirstyn Carlton and Vivianna Samaniego all figured in the win
How It Went
The scoreline says sweep, but the sets were closer than the result. Ole Miss took the first 25-17 and the second 25-19, then had to hold on in a third that went to 25-23 before the Rebels closed it out.
What held up across all three was the defense. Alabama managed 24 kills against 26 errors, which is how a team ends an afternoon hitting below zero. Ole Miss put up nine blocks and eight aces, and the serving pressure and the block worked together all day — an opponent that cannot get a clean swing away starts making the kind of errors Alabama made.
Offensively the Rebels were efficient rather than overwhelming: 35 kills on .229 hitting, with 16 errors of their own. Johnson led the way with 13 kills and Crook added nine more, plus two aces and four blocks.
Up Next
Ole Miss hosts Missouri on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. CT at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center. The match streams on SEC Network Plus.
📄 Read the full university release: Volleyball Rolls Past Alabama in SEC Opener → (OleMissSports.com)