Volleyball

Mobile, Loyola to Face Off in SSAC Volleyball Tournament Championship

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The two top seeds in the SSAC Volleyball Championship, presented by Dreamland BBQ, will face off in the championship match Saturday afternoon as No. 1 Mobile and No. 2 Loyola each won their respective semifinals Friday night.

The championship match is set for a 2 p.m. first serve. As Mobile was the regular season champion and earned the automatic qualifier spot, Loyola earns the second AQ from the league.

Mobile 3, William Carey 1
  • William Carey built a 17-9 opening-set lead and held on after Mobile cut the deficit to 19-16.
  • Mobile closed the second set with five straight points, then took the third behind 14 kills and a .256 hitting percentage.
  • William Carey led 11-5 and 20-16 in the fourth before Mobile scored eight consecutive points for a 24-20 advantage.
  • After William Carey saved three match points, Eva Blatchford finished the match with a kill assisted by Hannah Ellis.
  • Mobile's Emma Hampton hit .478 with 12 kills and one error on 23 attempts, while Kaylin Johnson added 10 kills.
  • Blatchford totaled 12 kills and 10 digs; Hope Blaylock collected 26 digs, while Jordyn Wilks served six of Mobile's 11 aces.
  • William Carey's Alejandra Villarreal had 14 kills, while Gabriela Martensson added 13 kills, a .346 hitting percentage and seven block assists.
  • Mobile outhit William Carey .168 to .103, while William Carey held an 11-7 advantage in total blocks.
Loyola 3, Life 1
  • Life led 24-15 in the opener before Loyola saved five set points, but Mia Goldbach's kill secured the set.
  • Olivia Smith served three second-set aces; after Life cut a 16-8 deficit to 16-14, Loyola answered with a decisive 9-1 run.
  • Taelynn Epple's kill brought Life within 20-19 in the third before consecutive blocks involving Alexa Palmer helped Loyola pull away.
  • Loyola's seven-point fourth-set run built a 17-5 lead, and Mel Beachnau and Tyler Alcorn combined for the match-ending block.
  • Beachnau, Caroline McKinney, Isis Harink and Palmer each recorded 10 kills for Loyola.
  • Ellie Connor supplied 21 assists and Belen Puche Laguna added 20, while Lola Blancher collected 16 digs for Loyola.
  • Goldbach led Life with 14 kills and two aces, while Vitoria Reis finished with 24 assists and 14 digs.
  • Loyola hit .315 and totaled 15 blocks, compared with Life's .135 hitting percentage and two blocks.