Ole Miss volleyball and track star Ty Laporte was killed in an automobile accident Friday morning, February 12 near Holly Springs, Mississippi.
The accident happened around midnight near according to the University of Mississippi athletic department.
Laporte, 23, was the daughter of Jean and Marie Laporte. She came to Oxford from Irmo, South Carolina where she attended Dutch Fork High School. She was in her senior season at Ole Miss and majoring in Integrated Marketing Communications.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by Ty’s death,” said Ole Miss Athletics Director Ross Bjork. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, her teammates, coaches and our staff during this difficult time. Everyone in the Ole Miss family offers our deepest sympathy to everyone who was touched by Ty’s amazing and infectious spirit.”
”This is another tragic loss for our campus community and especially our student-athletes, their coaches and administration,” said Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Ty’s family, teammates and friends.”
“To lose a young person so early in life is tragic and we are saddened to lose a special member of the SEC family,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. “As a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Ty Laporte represented Ole Miss and the SEC with excellence both on the court and in the classroom. The SEC extends it sympathies to her family, her teammates and coaches as well as her classmates and the entire University of Mississippi community.”
On the volleyball court, Laporte finished her four-year Rebel career in the fall ranked third all-time in block assists with 280 and third all-time in total blocks with 334. She also ranks fifth all-time in kills with 999.
“Our volleyball family is so heartbroken today with this news,” said Ole Miss head volleyball coach Steven McRoberts. “Ty’s smile would light up the room, and her passion was contagious. She was loved by all of her teammates and coaches. Ty will be greatly missed by not only the volleyball team but the whole Ole Miss community.”
During her last two years under Coach McRoberts, Laporte helped lead the Rebels to consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in nearly three decades, the best start in school history and the most home wins with a 13-5 record in 2015.
Laporte was also a member of the Ole Miss track & field team since her freshman year, competing in the high jump. She ranks ninth in school history in the outdoor high jump with a college-best clearance of 5-7.75.
In the classroom, Laporte was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2014 and 2015 and a member of the UMAA Honor Roll. 
