NEW ORLEANS, La- The University of Mobile Rams returned to the road for their third weekend away from home as they looked to continue their strong start to the 2026 season. Entering the weekend with a 9-1 record, the Rams traveled to Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana for the Big Easy Blastoff. Mobile opened the weekend with LSU-Shreveport, before taking on host Xavier University, Dillard University and Louisiana Christian University.
Game One Recap | Mobile vs. LSU-Shreveport (3-2 | 25-19, 25-20, 23-25, 20-25, 15-7)
The Rams opened the weekend with a hard fought five-set victory over LSU-Shreveport. Mobile took control early, winning the opening set 25-19 before following with a 25-20 win in the second. The Pilots responded with back-to-back wins in the third and fourth sets, taking the third 23-25 and the fourth 20-25 to even the match. Mobile regained control in the decisive fifth set, cruising to a 15-7 victory to secure the 3-2 win.
Kaylin Johnson led the Rams offensively with 16 kills while Aubrey Sheffield followed closely with 15. Eva Blatchford added 11 kills. Savannah Conklin led the Rams with eight blocks, while Sheffield added five and Johnson contributed four. Behind the service line, Georgia Simmons recorded a team-high four aces, while Blatchford and Gabby Sheffield each added two. Emma McPherson led Mobile with 30 assists while Hannah Ellis added 20 and Hope Blaylock contributed two. Defensively, Blaylock led the Rams with 18 digs, followed by Gabby Sheffiled and Simmons with 13 digs each.
Game Two Recap | Mobile vs. Xavier University (1-3 | 25-13, 27-25, 25-22, 25-18)
In game two, the Rams faced host Xavier University, falling to the Gold Nuggets in four sets. Mobile took control early with a 25-13 win in the opening set before Xavier battled back in the second. The Rams narrowly fell 27-25 in the second set before Xavier closed out the match with 25-22 and 25-18 wins in the final two sets.
Offensively, Mobile was led by Eva Blatchford and Aubrey Sheffield, who each recorded 13 kills. Kaylin Johnson contributed nine kills. Aubrey Sheffield and Savannah Conklin each recorded five blocks, while Blatchford added one. Blatchford and Georgia Simmons each contributed three aces, while Emma McPherson added two. McPherson led the Rams with 21 assists while Hannah Ellis added 18 and Hope Blaylock contributed four. Defensively, Blaylock once again led Mobile with 18 digs, followed by McPherson with 14 and Simmons with 10. The loss moved the Rams to 1-1 on the weekend and 10-2 on the season.
Game Three Recap | Mobile vs. Dillard University (3-1 | 22-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-18)
The Rams returned Saturday looking to bounce back from the loss against Xavier. Mobile fell behind early against Dillard, dropping the first set 22-25, before responding with three straight set victories. The Rams dominated the second set 25-14 before taking the third 25-19. Mobile closed the match with a 25-18 win in the fourth.
Kaylin Johnson led the Rams offensively with 17 kills while Aubrey Sheffield followed with 13. Eva Blatchford also contributed at the net with 12 kills. Johnson and Conklin each recorded four blocks, while Sheffield added three. Simmons led Mobile with two aces while Blatchford and Gabby Sheffield each added one. McPherson once again led the Rams with 28 assists while Hannah Ellis added 22 and Hope Blaylock contributed two. Defensively, Blaylock led Mobile with 16 digs, followed by Gabby Sheffield with 13 and Aubrey Sheffield with eight. With the win, Mobile improved to 2-1 on the weekend and 11-2 on the season.
Game Four Recap | Mobile vs. Louisiana Christian University (3-0 | 25-11, 25-7, 25-16)
In their final match of the weekend, The Rams closed out the Big Easy Blastoff with a dominant sweep over Louisiana Christian University. Mobile controlled the match from the start, winning 25-11, 25-7, and 25-16.
Kaylin Johnson led the Rams offensively with eight kills while Blatchford added seven and Aubrey Sheffield added six. Peyton Frazer led Mobile with three blocks, while Savannah Conklin and Sophie Dorris each had two. Blaylock led the Rams behind the service line with four aces, while Blatchford added two and Gabby Sheffield contributed one. McPherson led Mobile with 16 assists while Hannah Ellis added 10 and Blaylock contributed three. Defensively, Georgia Simmons and Blaylock each recorded 10 digs, while McPherson added seven. With the win, Mobile improved to 12-2 on the season.
Up Next For the Rams
The Rams are back in New Orleans this Tuesday, traveling to play the Knights of Southern University at New Orleans. The match is set to start at 6pm CT. On Saturday, September 12th the Rams travel to William Carey University for a midday matchup against the Crusaders as they kick off conference play. The game will begin at 1 PM CT.
FOLLOW THE RAMS
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About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered university pursuing excellence "For the Kingdom. To the World." With a vision to multiply Kingdom leaders for the glory of God and the good of the world, the university equips students through Christ-centered learning and community to pursue God's calling with courage, purpose and Kingdom impact.
The university was founded in 1961 and is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention. Located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, on a campus of over 880 acres, UM offers associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Learn more at umobile.edu/um-info and connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
