MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The William Carey volleyball team's season came to an end Friday night as the Lady Crusaders fell to Mobile in four sets (25-21, 17-25, 19-25, 23-25) in the semifinals of the SSAC Championship.
William Carey got off to a strong start in the opening set, building an early 8-2 advantage before extending its lead to 14-7 midway through the frame. Mobile continued to chip away at the deficit, but the Lady Crusaders responded each time to maintain control. Carey eventually stretched its lead to 23-18 before closing out the set 25-21 to take a 1-0 match advantage.
The Rams answered quickly in the second set, racing out to an 8-1 lead. The Lady Crusaders regrouped and used kills from
Agnes Hegardt along with a block by
Alyssa Portee and
Reagan Ziegler to trim the deficit to just one point at 12-11. After a brief back-and-forth stretch, Mobile gradually regained control, building a 21-16 advantage before scoring the final four points of the set to even the match at one set apiece.
William Carey and Mobile battled through the early stages of the third set before the Rams used an 11-3 run to take a 13-7 lead. The Lady Crusaders remained within striking distance, cutting the deficit to three points on several occasions, but Mobile answered every challenge and went on to claim the set 25-19, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Mobile scored the first three points of the fourth set, but Carey quickly responded with five consecutive points of its own, recording four kills during the run to move in front. After exchanging points, the Lady Crusaders used another 5-0 surge to build an 11-5 lead. Carey continued to hold the advantage throughout much of the set, though the Rams consistently stayed within reach, trimming the deficit to a single point multiple times.
The Lady Crusaders appeared poised to force a decisive fifth set after a 5-2 run gave them a 20-16 lead. However, Mobile responded with eight straight points to regain control and move within one point of the match victory. Carey mounted one final rally, getting kills from
Maurin Reyes and benefiting from a Mobile attack error to cut the deficit to 24-23. The Rams answered with a kill on the next point to end the comeback attempt and secure the 3-1 victory.
William Carey concludes the season with an overall record of 24-9, including a 12-4 mark in conference play.
