MONTGOMERY, Ala. - After traveling to Montgomery, Ala. on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 26, the University of Mobile Volleyball team was set to play two late afternoon matches in the annual Faulkner Invitational. The Rams were set to meet Reinhardt University (Ga.) to start the tournament, and later face Dillard University (La.) to conclude day one.
Reinhardt 3, Mobile 2
The Eagles of Reinhardt came out strong against UM, cruising in set one, 25-16. The dominant set seemed to surprise many who were watching, as Reinhardt has struggled early in the 2022 season. Mobile, however, was riding a three-match winning streak, sweeping all three matches, entering Thursday's meeting with the Eagles.
Mobile and Reinhardt went to war in set two, as the set finished in favor of the Rams, 32-30. The Eagles bounced back to take set three 25-21, while Mobile forced a fifth set with their 25-22 set four win. In the fifth set, Reinhardt had the upper hand and won 15-10, handing Mobile their second loss of the season. The Rams have now played two five-set matches this year, dropping both.
Both teams did not hit consistently in the five-set thriller, as UM finished with a .162 team hitting percentage, while Reinhardt hit .129. Individually for the Rams, freshman Corrina Porch-Maxey led the way with 14 total kills, hitting .175 in the match. Mobile's best hitting percentage belonged to setter Layton Adams who tallied 10 kills, while leading the Rams with 31 assists.
On the defensive side, six Rams tallied at least eight digs in the loss, led by freshman libero Lexi Gillette with 19. Abby Andrews finished the match with 14 digs, while racking up nine kills, and Tatum Beech tallied 13 digs with 21 assists.
Rams Bounce Back - Mobile 3, Dillard 1
In the nightcap on Thursday, Mobile faced Dillard University and defeated the Bleu Devils in four sets. It was all UM through the first two sets, winning set one 25-16, while dominating set two, 25-6. Dillard showed life in the third set and forced a fourth set with a 25-23 win. However, Mobile ended Dillard's hopes for an impressive comeback in the fourth set with a 25-17 win, claiming victory in the match for the team's fourth win of the season.
Dillard hit a low .077 as a team in Mobile's win, committing a total of 26 attack errors. Meanwhile, Mobile hit better in the second match played on Thursday, recording a .206 team hitting percentage.
Senior Abby Andrews was the only Ram to record double-digit kill totals in the win, finishing with 13. Brinkley Hearn hit an impressive .318 in the victory, finishing with eight kills which marked second highest on the team.
Sophomore Tatum Beech led the way in the assists category, tallying 22, while Lexi Gillette picked up 22 more defensive digs against Dillarrd. Gillette finished Thursday with a total of 41 digs across two matches played.
Two More Matches on Saturday
After a 1-1 day in the Faulkner Invitational, Mobile's overall record moves to 4-2 on the young season. The Rams are set to conclude their portion of the Faulkner Invite on Saturday, Aug. 27 with two matches during the midday hours.
The Rams will start the day with an 11:00 a.m. CT match against the College of Coastal Georgia, and follow that with a 1:00 p.m. CT match against the SUN Conference's Southeastern University. Both matches can be viewed live at https://www.youtube.com/FaulknerSportsNetwork.
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.
