MONTGOMERY, Ala. - After starting the 2021 SSAC Volleyball Championship Tournament with a perfect 3-0 record, the University of Mobile Volleyball program fell to the Blue Mountain Toppers in five sets on Saturday morning, Nov. 13 and were eliminated from the tournament. Mobile fell to the toppers by the final scores of 25-20, 21-25, 23-25, 31-29, 12-15. The win advanced Blue Mountain to the championship final where they would eventually win the SSAC Volleyball Championship, the Toppers' first conference championship in any sport since 2017.
In the semifinal loss to Blue Mountain, Mobile recorded a .198 hitting percentage. Carli Rouse had a remarkable match offensively, hitting .500 in the defeat with a team-high 21 kills in 38 attempts. Both Abby Andrews and Kiara Garrett were second on the team with 14 kills a piece. Sarah Warren led the way in Mobile's 6-2 offense with 44 assists. Meanwhile, the reigning SSAC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year, Melea Meadows, was outstanding in the tournament as she finished with 37 defensive digs against Blue Mountain alone.
The loss drops Mobile's overall record to 24-6 on the year as the 2021 season is likely over for Mobile unless the Rams earn an at-large bid in the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Tournament in the coming weeks.
Mobile entered the conference tournament this weekend in Montgomery with the best overall record in the SSAC and defeated the teams of Brewton-Parker, Faulkner, and top-seeded Loyola in the tournament before failing to overcome the Cinderella story of Blue Mountain College this season. Blue Mountain will now finish the year with at least 30 wins.
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.
