LA GRANDE, Ore. - After finishing as the runner-up in the 2022 SSAC Volleyball Championship and earning an at-large bid to the 2022 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Tournament, the University of Mobile Volleyball team traveled northwest to La Grande, Oregon for an opening-round matchup with No. 1 Eastern Oregon University. The opening-round match between the Rams and Mountaineers was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, Nov. 19, with the winner advancing to Sioux City, Iowa, the final site of the 2022 NAIA Volleyball National Championship.
Despite a great start against the top-ranked Mounties, Mobile fell in straight sets to Eastern Oregon on Saturday and saw the 2022 season come to an end. The Rams finish the 2022 campaign with a 24-13 overall record.
No. 1 Eastern Oregon Too Strong
Entering Saturday's matchup in the opening round, Eastern Oregon has sat atop the NAIA Volleyball Top 25 Coaches' Poll for several weeks, having just lost two matches during the entire season and eclipsing the 30-win mark. Mobile hoped for a massive upset to start the NAIA Volleyball postseason as Eastern Oregon is favored by many to win the entire tournament.
Out of the gate, Mobile played solid in the first set, keeping a small lead over the Mountaineers for the first half of the set. As set one began winding down, Eastern Oregon eventually took the lead, 24-21. However, the Rams surged back to tie the match at 24 points a piece, forcing extras in the first set of the match. Eventually, Eastern Oregon was too strong for Mobile and came away with the set one win, 28-26.
In set two, there was no contest as Eastern Oregon caught fire and showed why the Mounties are the top-ranked team in the country. Eastern Oregon took the set, 25-10. In the third and final set, Eastern Oregon scored six of the first seven points of the set, eventually cruising to a 25-17 set three win and sweeping the Rams in the opening round.
Mobile battled tough on the road at Eastern Oregon, but the Mountaineers move on to Sioux City, Iowa as Mobile flies home to Mobile, Ala. on Sunday.
Inside the Box Score
Consistent offense was hard to come by against the tall front line of Eastern Oregon as Mobile hit .060 as a team. The Rams committed 21 attack errors and 27 total kills on exactly 100 attempts. Eastern Oregon recorded 18 block assists against Mobile attacks and tallied a .234 team hitting line with 41 kills.
Corrina Porch-Maxey finished with a team-high seven kills, while Aleah Kennedy led Mobile with a .375 hitting mark, tallying six kills. Kennedy was the lone Ram to hit above .250 as she took a total of 16 attack attempts. Like Kennedy, senior Abby Andrews recorded six kills in her final match with Mobile, while also adding five digs. Andrews, a graduating senior from Mobile, Ala., finishes her collegiate career with the Rams totaling 1,092 kills and 1,157 defensive digs in four seasons played.
Madison Bergeron, Mobile's other graduating senior, also played her final match with the Rams on Saturday. Bergeron, a defensive specialist, totaled eight digs in Saturday's defeat, bringing her career total to 917. Additionally, Bergeron has notched 127 career service aces with Mobile.
Sophomore setter Tatum Beech led Mobile with 14 assists and 10 digs in the loss, while libero Lexi Gillette finished the afternoon with nine digs. The front line for Mobile tallied 10 block assists against Eastern Oregon.
2022 Season Encouraging for Future
A relatively young team for Mobile Head Coach Jon Campbell managed to earn an at-large bid to NAIA Nationals this season, a pleasant surprise to most. Mobile earned the fourth seed in the conference tournament this season, but rallied to the conference championship match. A total of 13 of 21 players on the 2022 roster are listed as underclassmen as the future looks bright for the University of Mobile Volleyball program.
Several players, along with the coaching staff, will now turn their attention to the 2023 UM Beach Volleyball season, set to begin in early 2023.
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.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
