H. AUSTILL PHARR GYMNASIUM | MOBILE, Ala. - The University of Mobile Volleyball team played the first SSAC match of the 2024 season on Friday night, Sept. 6, hosting Life University (Ga.) in Pharr Gymnasium and eventually defeating the Running Eagles in straight sets. Prior to Friday's conference opener, Mobile has put together a 10-3 start to the season, receiving votes for entry in the latest NAIA Volleyball Top 25 Coaches' Ratings.
Friday's win snaps a two-match skid the Rams were riding after a tournament last weekend in south Florida, improving the overall record to 11-3 this year and 1-0 in the SSAC.
Mobile Stays Undefeated at Home
Across set one, Mobile maintained a relatively comfortable lead over Life, defeating the Running Eagles 25-20 to begin the night. Both offenses were slow out of the gate, but Life errors kept the Rams out front. In set two, Mobile closed the set with a 14-3 run after the match was tied 11-11, winning the second set, 25-14. Mobile's offense peaked in the second set, with the team producing 12 kills on 19 attack attempts, hitting above .500. Finally, set three went back and forth early on before Mobile's offense picked up late and eventually managed a 25-21 set three win to sweep the Running Eagles on Friday.
Overall, Mobile hit just above .200 at .213 in the win, racking up 31 kills on 89 attempts. Meanwhile, Life could only muster a .119 hitting percentage, with errors coming back to haunt the Running Eagles. Life committed 22 attack errors in the defeat, while adding 10 service errors.
The service line proved to be kind to Mobile tonight, with the Rams recording eight aces on the evening. Aspen Adams and Tatum Beech each recorded three. Kendel Lee Frazer tallied nine kills to lead the Rams on the offensive side of things, followed by Adams with eight kills. Beech paced Mobile in assists with 16. Defensively, reigning SSAC Defender of the Week Jaci Drinnon led Mobile with 18 digs, while adding three assists and one ace in the victory.
SSAC Action Rolls On
Mobile has a quick turnaround as the Rams are back in action on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 7 in Pharr Gymnasium, hosting SSAC opponent Point University (Ga.) for a 1:00 p.m. CT matchup. Saturday's matchup kicks off a long day of home events at the University of Mobile, with both men's and women's soccer playing home matches later that evening. All three events will be broadcasted live on UMSN.
FOLLOW THE RAMS
For complete coverage of University of Mobile Athletics, follow the Rams on social media at /MobileRams (Facebook), @UMobileRams ("X" FKA Twitter), and @umobilerams (Instagram), or visit the official home of the University of Mobile Athletic Department at https://umobilerams.com/.
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.
