TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama and Ole Miss battled through five hard-fought sets Sunday in Foster Auditorium, with the Crimson Tide coming out victorious over the Rebels, 3-2.

Alabama (12-9, 4-6 SEC) and Ole Miss (14-8, 6-5 SEC) split the first two sets, with the Crimson Tide taking the opener, 25-23, before falling to the Rebels in the second, 25-20. A 25-18 victory in the third gave Alabama a 2-1 match advantage but Ole Miss pulled through in a close fourth set, 25-22, to force a deciding fifth.

The Tide saved its best performance for last, taking an early lead in the fifth set and building on it throughout. As a team, Alabama hit .444 in the deciding frame while holding Ole Miss to a .056 clip. With the support of a raucous Foster Auditorium crowd, the Tide cruised to a 15-9 victory to win the match in five.

As a team, Alabama tallied a season-best 67 kills and stuffed 18 blocks, its second-highest total of the season.

With 17 kills and 11 digs, junior Doris Carter earned her fourth double-double of the season, while freshman Alyiah Wells earned her first boasting 15 kills and 11 blocks. The block total was a season high for the Memphis, Tenn., native. Senior Ginger Perinar added 14 kills on offense, one short of her season high, along with a career-best five blocks.

In the back row, freshman PG Garrison dug a season-high 15 balls and added a pair of service aces. Senior Kaylee Thomas led all players with 21 digs, putting her 39 away from 1,000 for her career.

FROM HEAD COACH LINDSEY DEVINE

"The key was the way we prepared for this match all week. We were emphasizing the block and using the eyes to gather information from the opponent. The carryover from practice was excellent. I was proud of the way they followed the game plan and executed it. They trusted what we were telling them all week."

STAT LEADERS

SET-BY-SET

Set One (Alabama 25, Ole Miss 23): Alabama jumped ahead to an early 6-2 lead but Ole Miss rallied back with a 7-1 run to move in front 9-7 before the Tide took a timeout. Later trailing 11-8, Alabama scored four in a row to take a 12-11 lead. After three more lead changes, Ole Miss held a two-point lead at the 20-point mark. Back-to-back kills from senior Hayley McSparin and graduate transfer Eva Borrowdale tied the score and the Rebels took their first timeout. Ole Miss spent its second timeout after Alabama reached set point, 24-22, and the Tide closed it out two points later winning 25-23.

Alabama jumped ahead to an early 6-2 lead but Ole Miss rallied back with a 7-1 run to move in front 9-7 before the Tide took a timeout. Later trailing 11-8, Alabama scored four in a row to take a 12-11 lead. After three more lead changes, Ole Miss held a two-point lead at the 20-point mark. Back-to-back kills from senior and graduate transfer tied the score and the Rebels took their first timeout. Ole Miss spent its second timeout after Alabama reached set point, 24-22, and the Tide closed it out two points later winning 25-23. Set Two (Ole Miss 25, Alabama 20): The momentum was all Alabama to start set two, with three service aces helping the Tide to a 6-1 lead before Ole Miss called a timeout. The Rebels continued to chip away at the deficit, eventually taking the lead at 13-12. The Tide briefly took the lead back at 15-13 but the advantage quickly swung back to Ole Miss with an 8-3 run putting the visitors ahead 21-18 before Alabama called its first timeout. The Tide's second timeout came three points later, trailing 23-19, and Ole Miss held on to win 25-20 and even the match at 1-1.

The momentum was all Alabama to start set two, with three service aces helping the Tide to a 6-1 lead before Ole Miss called a timeout. The Rebels continued to chip away at the deficit, eventually taking the lead at 13-12. The Tide briefly took the lead back at 15-13 but the advantage quickly swung back to Ole Miss with an 8-3 run putting the visitors ahead 21-18 before Alabama called its first timeout. The Tide's second timeout came three points later, trailing 23-19, and Ole Miss held on to win 25-20 and even the match at 1-1. Set Three (Alabama 25, Ole Miss 18): After five tie scores early in set three, Alabama took the lead at 7-6 and held it until a 3-0 run later by Ole Miss gave the visitors a 14-13 edge. The Tide responded right back with four-in-a-row to lead 17-14. A 7-2 run further extended the lead to seven at set point, 24-17, and Alabama closed it out two points later winning 25-18.

After five tie scores early in set three, Alabama took the lead at 7-6 and held it until a 3-0 run later by Ole Miss gave the visitors a 14-13 edge. The Tide responded right back with four-in-a-row to lead 17-14. A 7-2 run further extended the lead to seven at set point, 24-17, and Alabama closed it out two points later winning 25-18. Set Four (Ole Miss 25, Alabama 22): Set four was another tightly-contested affair, with five tie scores by the 10-point mark. Later with Ole Miss leading 15-12, a pair of Alabama blocks plus a Rebel attack error knotted the score back up at 15-15. The teams traded evenly until the closing moments, tied again at 22-22. An Ole Miss kill sparked a 3-0 run for the visitors, giving them the 25-22 victory and forcing a fifth set.

Set four was another tightly-contested affair, with five tie scores by the 10-point mark. Later with Ole Miss leading 15-12, a pair of Alabama blocks plus a Rebel attack error knotted the score back up at 15-15. The teams traded evenly until the closing moments, tied again at 22-22. An Ole Miss kill sparked a 3-0 run for the visitors, giving them the 25-22 victory and forcing a fifth set. Set Five (Alabama 15, Ole Miss 9): Tied at 1-1, three-straight kills gave the Crimson Tide the momentum and a 4-1 advantage. Each team scored four points as a kill from McSparin made it 8-5 at the mid-set switch. Soon after, ahead 9-7, Alabama scored four unanswered to triple its lead to six points. After a Tide service error, a kill from redshirt junior Ashley Homan made it match point, 14-8, and a kill from Perinar two points later ended it at 15-9.

Alabama's 6?7? kills are a season-high and its 1?8? team blocks is the Crimson Tide's second-highest total of the year#BamaVB #RollTide pic.twitter.com/heGyFj9Yza — Alabama Volleyball (@AlabamaVBall) November 3, 2019

KEYS TO THE MATCH

Alabama limited Ole Miss kills leader Emily Stroup's effectiveness, balancing her 13 kills with 15 attack errors to limit the senior to a -.038 clip.

Each team had four players with at least 10 kills, but Alabama's group of four hit a combined .285 while the four from Ole Miss hit .212

Alabama held a 18-11 advantage in blocks

PLAYERS OF THE MATCH

Posted her team-leading fourth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 11 digs

Earned her first career double-double with a season-best 11 blocks along with 15 kills

UP NEXT

Alabama hosts a pair of matches next weekend at Foster Auditorium, welcoming 24th-ranked Missouri (14-6, 6-4 SEC) on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. CT and Tennessee (10-12, 4-8 SEC) on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. CT.

For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaVball on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Volleyball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.