WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The University of Mobile Indoor Volleyball program officially began the 2024 season on Thursday, Aug. 15, competing in two non-conference matches at the annual Vipers Sports Academy Classic in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Rams, led by 20th-year head coach Jon Campbell, kicked off the tournament with a match against host-school Keiser University (Fla.) on Thursday morning, eventually falling in four sets. Mobile then faced Florida College later on Thursday and bounced back with a four-set win for the first victory of the year.
The Vipers Sports Academy Classic continues over the next two days with Mobile sporting a 1-1 record after day one.
Match #1 Recap: Keiser 3, Mobile 1
The Rams opened the season with a tough test facing the Keiser Seahawks on their home floor on Thursday morning, but managed to win set one 26-24 to begin the match. However, Keiser responded nicely following the set one defeat and managed wins over the next three sets to eventually clinch the match, finding revenge over Mobile in the process after the Rams swept the Seahawks in three sets last season. Keiser won 25-16, 25-22, 25-18 across sets two, three, and four.
Mobile mustered a .228 attack percentage in the four-set loss, with Corrina Porch-Maxey pacing the offense with 16 kills. Senior Kendel Lee Frazer followed with 13 kills, recording six alone in set one. The middle block duo of Dazsha Dean Middleton and Emily Osborne put together nice offensive performances, with both players tallying seven kills each with an attack percentage north of .430. In the 6-2 ran offense, the Rams were led by Tatum Beech (22) and Layton Adams (21) in the assists category.
On the defensive side, Mobile newcomer and starting libero Jaci Drinnon racked up 22 defensive digs in her Mobile debut, followed by Layton Adams with 10. As a team, Mobile recorded 59 digs and 10 blocks. Dean Middleton and true freshman middle blocker Taliyah Kirby each recorded three blocks a piece.
For Keiser, the Seahawks hit over 100 points higher than the Rams in the opener, never hitting under .280 across any of the four sets. The Seahawks collected 69 kills on 160 attempts, committing just 15 attack errors in the process.
Match #2 Recap: Mobile 3, Florida College 1
Later on Thursday, Mobile matched up with former SSAC foe Florida College and bounced back with a four-set win. Similar to the match against Keiser, Mobile won 26-24 in the first set, and followed that with a 25-21 set two victory. The Falcons stormed back in the third set with a 27-25 win to force a fourth set, but Mobile proved to be too strong as the Rams earned a 25-21 win in set four to win the match.
Mobile recorded 57 total kills in the win, committing 23 attack errors for a hitting percentage of .215. Kendel Lee Frazer continued her strong day by leading the Rams with 18 kills, giving her 31 kills on the day. Meanwhile, Corrina Porch-Maxey followed with 14 kills against Florida College as the junior finished with 30 kills in two matches. Setter Layton Adams also tallied 14 kills, adding 16 assists and seven digs to her totals. Tatum Beech led the team for the second-straight match with 25 assists.
Jaci Drinnon bested her Mobile debut with 23 digs in the victory over the Falcons, with Mobile tallying 68 digs as a squad. Lexi Gillette followed Drinnon with 12 digs. In the blocks category, Emma Hampton led the Rams with four of Mobile's 12 blocks in the win.
Tournament Continues on Friday
Mobile is scheduled for two more matches in the Vipers Sports Academy Classic, facing Spartanburg Methodist College (S.C.) at 7:00 p.m. CT on Friday, Aug. 16. The Rams will wrap up the tournament on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CT with a match against Taylor University (Ind.).
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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.
