MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Loyola rallied from two sets down to defeat Mobile, 3-2, in the SSAC Volleyball Tournament Championship, presented by Dreamland BBQ. Loyola completed the reverse sweep with set scores of 16-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-11.

"We have been what we call a slow burn team all year long," said Loyola head coach Jenna Ibieta. "Heading into that third set, we just told them to keep working, keep doing our job and put pressure on [Mobile]. We've been in that position before. We've played Mobile twice before where it went to five, so we knew we could beat them if we got them in that position."

Mobile took control early, building an 8-2 opening-set lead as consecutive service aces by Jordyn Wilks capped a five-point run. Emma Hampton finished the set with a kill as Mobile scored the final four points. In the second, consecutive kills by Tyler Alcorn helped Loyola erase a 9-4 deficit and tie the score at 15. Loyola also drew even at 17 and 18, but Mobile closed on a 7-2 run to move one set from victory.

Loyola began its comeback after a Kaylin Johnson kill put Mobile ahead 15-12 in the third set. Six consecutive points, capped by an Alexa Palmer kill, gave Loyola an 18-15 lead, and Loyola scored the final three points to extend the match. In the fourth, Clarissa Dupree capped a four-point run with a kill to turn a 12-9 deficit into a 13-12 advantage. Another Dupree kill completed a separate four-point surge that broke a 16-16 tie, and Loyola forced a deciding set.

Mobile led the fifth set 7-4 and 9-6 before Loyola answered with four straight points, taking its first lead on Caroline McKinney's kill. Eva Blatchford tied it at 10, but Loyola scored the next three points, with Palmer's kill prompting a Mobile timeout. Johnson cut the deficit to 13-11 before McKinney brought Loyola to match point. Isis Harink then delivered the winning kill off an assist from Lola Blancher.

"We talked about it before we came to the tournament that things didn't go our way for the regular season," said Lola Blancher. "Our mindset going into this was we are going to prove we are the best team in this conference."

Dupree and Palmer led Loyola with 15 kills apiece. Dupree added 11 digs, while Palmer hit .312. Mel Beachnau contributed 12 kills on .320 hitting, McKinney finished with 10 kills and Harink added nine kills and 10 digs. Ellie Connor supplied 28 assists and 14 digs, Belen Puche Laguna had 25 assists and Blancher led the defense with 27 digs.

Blatchford paced Mobile with a match-high 21 kills and five service aces. Johnson added 13 kills, while Hampton finished with 10. Hannah Ellis recorded 24 assists, and Emma McPherson contributed 21 assists and 16 digs. Hope Blaylock matched Blancher with 27 digs. At the net, Peyton Frazer recorded three solo blocks and two block assists, helping Mobile finish with 10 total blocks.

Loyola finished with 66 kills and a .211 hitting percentage, compared with Mobile's 58 kills and .172 mark. Mobile held a 9-5 advantage in service aces, while Loyola edged Mobile 94-93 in digs. In the deciding set, Loyola produced 12 kills and hit .310, compared with seven kills and .138 hitting for Mobile.

Both teams will now advance to the NAIA National Tournament after Mobile earned the AQ for being regular season champions.