Box Score MOBILE, Ala. - After two-straight conference road losses, the University of Mobile Volleyball team returned home to Pharr Gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 5 for a conference match against the Faulkner Eagles and managed to sweep Faulkner in straight sets, 25-21, 25-14, 25-13. Entering Tuesday's match, the Rams have recorded a sub .200 team hitting percentage in five-straight matches, all while playing on the road, and looked to snap their two-match losing streak. Faulkner entered Tuesday with a .182 team hitting percentage, losers of three-straight.
In the first set, Mobile and Faulkner played back-and-forth volleyball, trading the lead several times throughout the set. Mobile managed an offensive run late in the set to claim the victory, but did commit eight attack errors as a team throughout the set, recording just a .147 team hitting percentage.
It was a different story in set two for Mobile as the Rams controlled the set from start to finish, raising their team hitting percentage in the match by almost 100 points after committing very few attack errors and hitting .487 in the set alone. Mobile kept that momentum at the start of set three, but a well-used timeout by Faulkner Head Coach Tori Renda gave the Eagles a spark in the set.
After trailing 11-6 in the third set, Faulkner managed a 12-0 run on the Rams, going up 18-11, attempting to force a fourth set. However, Mobile Head Coach Jon Campbell used both of his timeouts during the impressive run from the Eagles and managed to get his team motivated to answer back. Following Faulkner's 12-0 run, Mobile answered with a 14-5 run on Faulkner to take the set and sweep Faulkner in straight sets for the match win.
In the win, the Rams hit over .200 for the first time since Sept. 18, recording a team hitting percentage of .248 on Tuesday. They recorded 44 kills off 105 attempts and allowed Faulkner just 28 kills while hitting just .120 throughout the match.
Carli Rouse had a great night offensively, recording 11 kills and leading the team with a stellar .429 hitting percentage. Abby Andrews hit .248 on the night and led the Rams with 12 kills. Mobile saw four players with at least eight attack attempts hit over .240 on the night.
Sarah Warren led the team in assists with 25. Freshman Tatum Beech managed 15 assists in the win. Both Melea Meadows and Layton Adams led the team with three service aces a piece, being responsible for six of Mobile's nine aces in the victory.
Defensively, Mobile played without the reigning SSAC Volleyball Defender of the Week. Senior middle blocker Rachel Hart was listed as inactive Tuesday night. Hart recorded a total of 19 blocks in two matches last week to earn the player of the week honor. Jordan Wood and Aleah Kennedy combined to replace Hart's production in the lineup, as both Kennedy and Wood hit .375 on the night and combined for a total of nine kills. Kennedy managed five blocks on the night, leading the team.
Abby Andrews led the team with a total of 12 defensive digs in Tuesday's match as libero Melea Meadows tallied 11 digs. Madison Bergeron was third on the team with eight digs.
For Mobile, they improve their overall record to 14-3 following the win over Faulkner and advance their conference record to 5-2. Mobile sits in a tie for third in the current SSAC Volleyball Standings with William Carey who Mobile will battle next on the schedule. Both Mobile and William Carey trail Loyola and Blue Mountain by one game in the standings as the Rams and Crusaders will meet at Pharr Gymnasium next Tuesday, Oct. 12 in a important match at 7:00 p.m. CT.
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.
