GULF SHORES BEACH, Ala. - The University of Mobile Beach Volleyball team returned to non-conference action over the weekend, competing in the annual three-day tournament at Gulf Shores Beach on Thursday through Saturday, Mar. 2-4. Mobile played six total matches in the tournament, two coming on each day. Overall, the Rams finished 2-4 this season in the Gulf Shores tourney, moving the overall record on the 2023 season to 5-8.
Thursday Recap
Mobile opened the tournament on Thursday afternoon with a match against crosstown rival Spring Hill College. The Badgers of Spring Hill controlled the match from start to finish, never allowing a set to be won by Mobile. Later that afternoon, the Rams battled Huntingdon College for the second time this season and eventually fell to the Hawks, 4-1. Mobile's lone win over Huntingdon on Thursday came from the second flight, where Abby Andrews and Brinkley Hearn swept the opposition, 2-0. Huntingdon has managed a pair of wins over Mobile during the 2023 campaign, defeating the Rams 4-1 back on Feb. 18.
Friday Recap
After dropping the first two matches of the tournament on Thursday, Mobile bounced back on a windy Friday, securing a 3-2 victory over Hendrix College. The pair of Abby Andrews and Brinkley Hearn earned another 2-0 victory as the second seed against Hendrix, being joined by Tatum Beech and Jordan Wood from the fourth flight with a 2-0 victory of their own. In the fifth flight, Lexi Gillette and Emily Osborne came away victorious with a 2-1 win to hand the Rams the match win. In the first and third-seeded losses for Mobile, the Rams forced three sets in both matches.
Later, Mobile looked to build off the earlier win over Hendrix College, taking on Stevenson College for the first time in program history. Stevenson came away with the win 5-0, with Mobile forcing three sets in three of the five matches played. Stevenson swept the second and third flights against the Rams.
Saturday Recap
On the final day of the Gulf Shores Beach Tournament, Mobile played arguably the toughest competition in the three years since becoming a sanctioned sport, battling the University of Nebraska, a member of the NCAA Division I and BIG 10 Conference. Bidding for a massive upset, the Rams came up short, falling to Nebraska in all five matches played. The height of the Cornhuskers proved important, blocking several attack attempts from Mobile throughout each match. It was not a complete sweep for Nebraska, however, as Tatum Beech and Jordan Wood forced three sets against the Cornhuskers as the fourth-seeded pair, eventually falling 2-1.
Following the loss to Nebraska, Mobile concluded the tournament on a high note, defeating Berry College, 3-2. Earlier in the season, Mobile fell to Berry 4-1 in Montgomery, Ala., but managed to get revenge on Saturday. Mobile's top flight of Aspen Adams and Layton Adams won in the first-seeded matchup 2-1, with the four and five seeds from Mobile coming away with 2-1 victories. Tatum Beech and Jordan Wood earned the win from the fourth slot, with Lexi Gillette and Emily Osborne winning as the five seed.
Back to Conference Play
With a 5-8 overall record following a 2-4 tournament performance in Gulf Shores, Mobile is scheduled to return to conference play with the SUN Conference Northeast Pod Tournament on Mar. 10-11. Two of the three scheduled matches in next weekend's tournament are conference matches, beginning on Friday, Mar. 10 with a 8:00 a.m. CT match against Truett-McConnell University.
Mobile will face non-conference foe Bob Jones University later on Friday and will conclude the tournament on Saturday, Mar. 11 with a conference match against St. Andrews University at 1:00 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.
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.
