MOBILE, Ala. - The University of Mobile Volleyball team concluded their home portion of the schedule with one match on Monday, Oct. 25 and two matches over the weekend. The Rams played host to three different teams, two conference teams, in their final three home matches, with the first match coming against conference foe Blue Mountain College on Friday, Oct. 22. The Rams played another conference match, this time against Talladega College, the following day. The match against Talladega on Saturday, Oct. 23 was tabbed as Senior Day. Finally, Mobile hosted non-conference opponent Pensacola Christian College on Monday for the home finale.
BMC @ MOB
In Friday night's important conference match against Blue Mountain College, it was a must-win situation for the Rams to keep their hopes of a regular season championship in the SSAC alive. Blue Mountain entered Friday's match in a tie for first place in the conference volleyball standings with Loyola (La.). Mobile entered Friday in a tie for third with William Carey. Mobile defeated Blue Mountain earlier in the season in five sets.
On Friday, the two teams yet again played a five-set match, this time seeing Blue Mountain College come out on top, 25-20, 20-25, 21-25, 25-18, 13-15.
After the Rams took the first set over the Toppers, Blue Mountain rebounded by winning sets two and three. Mobile came out in set four a built momentum offensively, claiming set four and entered set five with a head of steam. Mobile at one point led set five 8-2, but allowed a Blue Mountain comeback to lose in heartbreaking fashion.
In the loss on Friday, the Rams were led by Kiara Garrett offensively. The freshman out of Sneads, Fla. finished with a team-high 18 kills while recording a .267 hitting percentage. Carli Rouse finished second on the team in the kills category after recording 12 kills and hitting .188 and junior middle blocker Aleah Kennedy finished with 11 kills, hitting .400 on the night. As a team, the Rams recorded a .235 hitting percentage.
Senior Sarah Warren and freshman Tatum Beech combined for 52 of Mobile's 58 recorded assists in the five-set loss, with Warren leading Mobile with 28 total. Defensively, Melea Meadows recorded a team-high 24 defensive digs with Warren finishing second on the team with 16 digs.Â
Although not impossible, Mobile's chances at the SSAC Volleyball Regular Season Championship took a major hit on Friday with the loss to Blue Mountain. For the Rams, they looked to shake off the loss and control the rest of their 2021 schedule, with matches Mobile is highly favored in going forward.Â
DEGA @ MOB
Coming off the tough loss to Blue Mountain, the Rams returned to action the following afternoon for Senior Day as Mobile hosted Talladega College, another conference opponent. Prior to the start of the match, Mobile honored the five seniors leaving the University of Mobile Volleyball program at year's end. Those seniors were: Kat Breeding (statistician), Carley Hamric (libero tracker), Rachel Hart, Melea Meadows, and Sarah Warren.
Following Senior Day festivities, the Rams played lights out against the Tornadoes of Talladega College, sweeping their opponent in straight sets, 25-7, 25-11, 25-20.Â
The Rams were outstanding offensively, recording a team hitting percentage of .349. Abby Andrews, who is the team-leader in kills this season for Mobile, led the way on Saturday with nine kills. Andrews recorded a .318 hitting percentage. Carli Rouse finished with a .400 hitting percentage and eight kills and freshman Kiara Garrett recorded seven kills while hitting .333. Andrews, Garrett, and Rouse are Mobile's top three offensive leaders on the stats sheet throughout the 2021 season.Â
Both Melea Meadows and Sarah Warren led the way for Mobile on the defensive side, both recording eight digs in the win. Warren again led the team in the assists category with 19 on the afternoon.Â
Following the win on Saturday, numerous smiles rained out in Pharr Gymnasium as the graduating seniors were greeted by teammates, families, and fans.
PCC @ MOB
On Monday night, Oct. 26, Mobile was set for the home finale on the 2021 season against Pensacola Christian College, a non-conference, non-division school out of Pensacola, Fla. The Rams swept the Eagles of PCC earlier in the season in Pensacola, Fla.
On Monday, it was much of the same as Mobile swept the Eagles again, 25-18, 25-13, 25-10. Prior to the start of the match, Melea Meadows and Sarah Warren were honored for collegiate achievements recording during the 2021 season.
In her second year with Mobile, senior Sarah Warren surpassed the 1,000 assists plateau and was awarded a game ball from Head Coach Jon Campbell. Senior libero Melea Meadows was also given a game ball from Campbell for surpassing the 1,000 career digs plateau. Both Warren and Meadows are in their final years with the Rams, with Monday being their final match in Pharr Gymnasium.
In the three-set sweep for Mobile, the Rams hit .337 as a team. Abby Andrews again led the team in kills, recording eight on the night. She hit .263 in the three sets played. Kiara Garrett and Carli Rouse both finished with seven kills in the win, with Garrett hitting .278 and Rouse hitting .188.Â
Melea Meadows was lights out on the defensive side, recording a match-high 19 digs. Sarah Warren finished second on the team with 10 digs and led the team in assists with 24. Head Coach Jon Campbell saw opportunity to play several of his reserves from off the bench as the match began to wind down as a total of 20 Rams hit the court on Monday night.
Following the win, several hugs and even some tears were shed as the realization of the final home match of the season began to set in. For Melea Meadows, Sarah Warren, and Rachel Hart, it was the last match of their collegiate careers in front of their home fans in Pharr Gymnasium.
What's Ahead
Following Mobile's 2-1 weekend at home, the Rams will conclude the 2021 regular season with three road matches, all that favor Mobile big. The Rams will travel to Macon, Ga. on Oct. 29 for a match against Middle Georgia State next on the schedule. That match is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT.
Mobile's overall record now sits at 18-5 on the year and 7-4 in conference play.
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About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
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