Mount Olive built a two-set lead and led by three late in the fifth set, but was unable to hold on as the Trojans fell to Pfeiffer 24-26, 19-25, 25-18, 25-21, 18-16 in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball Friday at Kornegay Arena. Lauren Lee recorded a double-double for the Trojans with 15 kills and 18 digs, while Danielle Plante and Carly White added 13 kills apiece.

Mount Olive (6-9 overall, 3-2 Conference Carolinas) trailed during the early part of the fifth set until double blocks by White and Elyse Keating and by Dezirae Mackey and Sarah Watkins helped give the Trojans a 9-7 lead. Charnel Austin's fourth ace of the match gave Mount Olive its biggest lead of the set at 11-8 and the Trojans were two points away from winning the match after Lee's kill made the score 13-11.

Pfeiffer (4-11, 2-3) rallied to regain the lead as Brianna Jones had a kill and a block to give the Falcons match point at 14-13. Mount Olive saved one match point on a Pfeiffer service error, then saved a second match point on a block by White and Lee. Another block by White and Watkins gave Mount Olive its first match point, but an attack error kept the match alive. Anna Vizvary's kill gave the Falcons their third match point and Kelsey Blauser's solo block completed the comeback.

The opening set was a battle of runs as Mackey served an ace and White added two kills and a block during a 7-0 run to give Mount Olive a 16-13 lead. The lead grew to as many as six and the Trojans were a point away from winning the set at 24-20. But three Trojan attack errors and Anna Vizvary's kill on a Trojan block error allowed Pfeiffer to save all four set points. A Falcon service error gave Mount Olive another set point and Plante ended the set with an ace.

In the second set, Pfeiffer used aces by Emily Wall and Kelly Lancellot to jump out to an 11-5 advantage. Back-to-back aces by Nicole Sparks highlighted a run of seven unanswered points and Charnel Austin triggered another Mount Olive run as the Trojans built a 19-14 lead. The margin never fell below three and Plante had a pair of kills in the final four points to give the Trojans a two-set advantage.

Pfeiffer jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the third set and Mount Olive played from behind the rest of the way. White's kill on an overpass pulled the Trojans within 20-18, but the Falcons would score five of the next six points, capped by a block by Vizvary and Kelly Lancellot on set point.

Mount Olive led 9-4 in the fourth set after an ace by Austin and a kill by Plante. But Jones' kill capped a Pfeiffer rally to tie the set 16-16 and another block by Vizvary and Lancellot broke a 19-19 tie to put the Falcons ahead to stay and force a fifth set.

The Trojans are now 1-1 in five-set matches this season.

Trojan setter Elyse Keating, who entered the match in the third set, finished with 21 assists and eight digs, while Nicole Karas recorded 20 assists and five digs. Nicole Spark, who had two aces, recorded a match-high 21 digs, while Austin added eight digs. White finished with six blocks, Mackey had four blocks, and Lee and Watkins added three blocks apiece. The Trojans tallied 10 aces and 10.0 team blocks for their second team double-double of the season.

Jones led all players with 16 kills for Pfeiffer, while Vizvary added 13 kills. Falcon setter Emily Wall recorded 41 assists, 12 digs and three aces to go with five second-ball kills. Blauser finished with a match-high eight blocks.

Mount Olive concludes its weekend Conference Carolinas homestand Saturday against Belmont Abbey. Saturday is Cancer Awareness Day on the MOC campus and the Trojan athletics department participating in the Cures for the Colors campaign with Southeastern Cancer Care, an organization in Goldsboro that provides support, material and services for cancer patients in Eastern North Carolina. The Trojan women's volleyball team will wear orange to represent leukemia awareness.

Match time is 2 p.m. at Kornegay Arena.