'It's insane what we've done': How Ole Miss volleyball made a historic turnaround

Dec. 1—OXFORD — No, not even Kayla Banwarth saw this coming.

Banwarth is in her second season as the Ole Miss head volleyball coach. To say that Year One was a rollercoaster would be an understatement — the Rebels went 1-19 last season, a campaign that was broken into a fall and spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fast forward to the end of Year Two, and the Rebels (21-8 overall, 10-8 SEC) have won 20-more matches than they did a season ago and are headed to their first NCAA Tournament since 2010. Ole Miss will face No. 14 Creighton Thursday at 7 p.m. in Omaha.

Realistically, Banwarth wanted the Rebels to be in the top half of the SEC hierarchy this season. That would have constituted a solid step forward in the program's rebuild.

But an NCAA Tournament berth? That's admittedly hard to fathom given where the program was just a year ago.

"This was definitely not my timeline," Banwarth said with a smile. "I was not quite expecting this quick of a turnaround. So when you really look at it, it's insane what we've done.

"And I told the girls this the other night, but it could be one of the greatest turnarounds in sports ... So, it's definitely way ahead of schedule, where I thought we would be at this point."

A big reason for the turnaround, Banwarth said, was the addition of key new faces — there are nine new players on this season's roster, among the most impactful being Oklahoma graduate transfer setter Kylee McLaughlin. McLaughlin and sophomore middle blocker Sasha Ratliff were both All-SEC selections.

The other key was revamping the offensive approach and figuring out how to best use the collection of talent.

The Rebels began the 2021 season with a bang, winning their first 12 matches. But it was the seventh matchup, a win against No. 15 Western Kentucky in mid-September, that had Banwarth and her players starting to believe this group was different. Tight losses to No. 6 Kentucky and Mississippi State only solidified what the Rebels were quickly learning: That this team had what it takes.

"When we beat Western Kentucky, it was kind of like an, 'Oh, wow. We're doing this,' type of moment," Banwarth said. "Those are the kind of moments where, as a coach, I'm thinking, 'OK, this team is capable of a lot.' It's just a matter of how do we get over that hump?"

Creighton (30-3 overall, 16-2 Big East) won the Big East Tournament for the eighth year in a row and is making its tenth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

It can be difficult to sit back and reflect on all the things a team has accomplished while a season is still going — particularly as the postseason approaches.

But if she's being completely honest, Ratliff has spent a lot of time thinking about this season, how it has progressed and how the team has exceedingly reached and surpassed its goals.

The Rebels are a tight-knit group, one that has gotten closer as the year has gone on. It is also a group that is having fun and is "connected a lot better this year," Ratliff said.

The 2020 Ole Miss volleyball season was a tough one for a lot of reasons. And it's made the success of 2021 taste that much sweeter.

"Pretty much every single night with my roommates ... We sit on the couch and are just like, 'Wow, we're really doing this,' and we get the opportunity to continue to make history, which is even more exciting," Ratliff said. "It's a group of people that I love. That's what's amazing about it."