BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The 2022 University of Mobile Volleyball team opened their 2022 season with two matches on Friday, Aug. 19 as part of the two-day Vette City Classic in Bowling Green, Ky. The Rams faced off against host-school Union College on Friday morning, falling in five sets to the Bulldogs. Later on Friday, Mobile bounced back and earned a straight-set sweep over another team of Bulldogs in Tennessee Wesleyan to claim their first win of the season and finish day one of the Vette City Classic with a 1-1 record.
The Rams finished the 2021 season last year with a 24-6 overall record. Jon Campbell, who enters his 18th year at the helm of the UM Volleyball program, returns a young team consisting of 13 underclassmen, while hoping the seven upperclassmen will lead the team to another successful season. Mobile saw several talented players graduate from the program last year, including SSAC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year Melea Meadows and SSAC First-Team All-Conference selections Rachel Hart and Sarah Warren.
Mobile 2, Union College (Ky.) 3
The Rams began the 2022 season with a 9:00 a.m. CT match against Union College, who hosts the Vette City Classic. After a promising start with a 25-20 set one victory, Mobile allowed Union to answer back in set two, with the Bulldogs coming out on top, 25-23. However, Mobile looked strong in set three with a 25-17 victory, putting the Rams just one set away from starting the year 1-0.
Late in the fourth set, Union was one point away from forcing a set five, leading the Rams 24-20, but Mobile managed to fight back with five unanswered points to eventually take the lead, 25-24. The Rams' momentum halted, however, as Union came away with the 28-26 set win to force a fifth set. In the fifth set, the first team to score 15 points wins the set and the match.
In the fifth set, Mobile took a 2-0 lead early, but allowed Union to take the lead and not look back. The Bulldogs took set five 15-12 over Mobile in the season opener, handing the Rams their first loss of the season.
In the match, Mobile hit .206 as a team, while Union hit just .125. Individually, Mobile was led offensively by true freshman Corrina Porch-Maxey with 18 kills. The Indianapolis, Indiana native hit .220 in her first collegiate match in 50 attack attempts. Seniors Aleah Kennedy and Jordan Wood also produced offensively for Mobile, with Wood leading all hitters with a .471 hitting percentage. Both Wood and Kennedy finished with nine kills a piece.
Sophomore Layton Adams was busy for Mobile in the first match of the season, leading all Rams with 29 assists and finishing second on the team with 10 kills. On the defensive side, Abby Andrews was the lone Ram to record double-digit dig totals, tallying 21 in the five-set loss.
Mobile 3, Tennessee Wesleyan, 0
Later on Friday, Mobile squared off against Tennessee Wesleyan, who also lost their first match of the season Friday morning. With both teams in search of their first win, it was all Mobile as the Rams cruised to a straight-set win, 25-12, 25-13, 25-17.
Mobile hit just below .250 at .241 in the win, recording a total of 33 kills. For Tennessee Wesleyan, it was a game to forget on the offensive side as the Bulldogs hit -.050.
Middle blocker Aleah Kennedy led Mobile with eight kills, hitting a stellar .538. Freshman outside hitter Corrina Porch-Maxey finished with seven kills, second highest on the team. Layton Adams once again led the Rams in the assists category, tallying 16.
Defensively, Adams finished with a team-high 10 digs, while Abby Andrews recorded eight. Freshman libero Lexi Gillete finished with six digs in the victory.
Day Two of Vette City Classic on Saturday
After a 1-1 day, Mobile returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 20 with two more matches to conclude the Vette City Classic. The Rams battle Williams Baptist (Ark.) at 2:00 p.m. CT on Saturday and will follow that match with a 4:30 p.m. CT match against the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.).
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.
