Ole Miss had every reason to feel good Sunday afternoon.
The Rebels grabbed the opening set, had the home crowd behind them and saw several players turn in career performances. Then the match flipped.
South Carolina walked into the Gillom Athletics Performance Center and left with a 3-1 victory, handing Ole Miss another frustrating SEC loss and dropping the Rebels to 8-10 overall and 2-5 in conference play.
For a little while, it looked like Ole Miss might be headed in the other direction.
After falling behind early in the first set, the Rebels settled in and started finding points from all over the lineup. Jaidyn Hartsfield got things going with back-to-back kills, Ryea Jackson helped stretch the lead and Ole Miss looked firmly in control midway through the set.
South Carolina made a late push, trimming the deficit to two points, but the Rebels held on for a 25-23 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
At that point, Ole Miss seemed to have momentum.
It did not last.
The second set quickly became the turning point. South Carolina stormed out to a 9-1 lead and forced the Rebels to play catch-up the rest of the way. Ole Miss responded with a brief run that cut into the deficit, but every time the Rebels looked ready to make things interesting, the Gamecocks had an answer.
South Carolina finished the set with a 10-4 run to win 25-14 and even the match.
From there, the script became painfully familiar for Ole Miss.
The Rebels competed early in both the third and fourth sets. They built leads in each frame and stayed within striking distance through the middle portions of both sets. Sophie Taylor provided a spark off the bench in the third set with four kills, while Hartsfield and Shayla Meyer helped Ole Miss take an early advantage in the fourth.
But once South Carolina found another gear, Ole Miss could not match it.
The Gamecocks turned an 11-11 tie in the third set into a 25-15 win by closing on a dominant run. In the fourth, the match was tied at 15 before South Carolina once again pulled away, finishing off a 25-16 victory and sealing the match.
The loss spoiled what was otherwise a strong individual afternoon for several Rebels.
Hartsfield delivered a career-high 15 kills and was one of the few constants in the Ole Miss attack. Bella Bonanno also recorded a career high with 18 digs as the Rebels searched for answers defensively.
The most frustrating part for Ole Miss may be that this was not a match where it was overwhelmed from the opening whistle. The Rebels won the first set and held leads in the third and fourth. They showed flashes of the team they believe they can become.
The problem was finishing.
South Carolina consistently won the longer stretches of the match, and those runs were the difference. Every time Ole Miss put itself in position to take control, the Gamecocks responded with a surge that changed the set and, ultimately, the outcome.
Now the Rebels have little time to dwell on it. The SEC schedule does not get easier, and another road test awaits Friday when Ole Miss travels to Auburn for an 8 p.m. CT matchup on SEC Network.
For a team still looking to gain traction in conference play, the opportunities are there.
So is the urgency.
