NEW ORLEANS, La. - One day following a big four-set road win over rival William Carey (Miss.), the University of Mobile Volleyball team returned to action on Saturday, Sept. 21 in New Orleans for a conference match against Loyola University (La.). Mobile's impressive start to conference play continued on Saturday afternoon as the Rams put together a strong 25-21, 25-14, 25-21 sweep over the Wolf Pack, securing the first win on Loyola's home floor since the 2019 season.
In 20 matches played thus far during the 2024 season, Mobile improves to 17-3 overall on the year and an SSAC-best 6-0 in the conference. The current win streak moves to seven matches as the Rams continue to receive votes for entry in the NAIA Volleyball Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
Mobile Tames the Wolf Pack
Mobile's offense was stellar on Saturday against Loyola, with the team hitting .347 overall on the day. In 98 total attack attempts, the Rams collected 43 kills and committed only nine attack errors across the three sets. Mobile's best set of the afternoon came in the third set where the Rams recorded 19 kills, while committing only one error. Meanwhile, Loyola tallied 35 kills and 19 errors in the defeat.
Dazsha Dean Middleton paced the offense for Mobile, tying a career-high 12 kills on Saturday. The senior middle blocker hit a strong .706 against Loyola, taking 17 attack attempts from the middle. Middleton finished as the only player with double digit kill totals on the roster in Saturday's win. Emma Hampton and Corrina Porch-Maxey followed Middleton's performance with eight kills each, with Hampton hitting .500 on the afternoon. Neither Hampton nor Middleton committed an attack error in the sweep.
Tatum Beech continued to inch closer to the 2,000-career assist mark as the senior setter led Mobile with 23 assists against the Wolf Pack. Beech is now just 17 assists away from the incredible career milestone, while being 15 assists away from 400 during this season alone. Sophomore Emma McPherson played all three sets for the injured Layton Adams and tallied a career-high 15 assists to follow Beech's performance.
On the defensive side, Jaci Drinnon recorded a match-high 15 digs, while Aspen Adams followed with 12. Lexi Gillette collected 11 digs in the win. Additionally, Mobile was a force at the net, tallying 16 block assists against Loyola's front. Both middle blockers in Dazsha Dean Middleton and Emily Osborne collected four blocks each.
Home for Two Next Week
The Rams are scheduled to return to action this upcoming weekend with two matches across Sept. 27-28, hosting Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) and UT-Southern (Tenn.) in Pharr Gymnasium. Mobile's first match is set for 6:00 p.m. CT against Blue Mountain on Friday, while facing the Firehawks of UT-Southern at 1:00 p.m. CT the next day.
The Rams swept both teams on the road just two weekends ago.
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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.
