MOUNT OLIVE (Oct. 19) – The Trojans overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth set to completed a comeback victory over Francis Marion by a 3-2 margin on Wednesday night in Conference Carolinas play at Kornegay Arena.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team improves to 16-8 this season with a 9-2 record in league action. UMO extends its winning streak to four-straight and has now won its most matches under third-year head coach
Emma Celentano. Meanwhile, the Patriots fall to 12-9 overall behind a 7-5 mark in conference play.
Sophomore
Neza Pec registered her fourth kill/dig double-double of the year after tying for the team lead with 12 kills and totaling 12 digs in the win. She ranks third on the team with 162 kills this season while sitting second with over 200 digs. Fellow sophomore
Ashlyn Stone also finished with 12 kills on a .310 hitting percentage, while senior
Alyssa Jackson recorded a season-high nine kills on a .438 clip. Senior
Amara Eziakonwa collected eight kills on a .318 hitting percentage against the Patriots. Seniors
Jenna Myer and
Madison Goodman directed the offense with 28 and 20 assists, respectively.
Defensively, sophomore
Morgan Prots led all players with 24 digs in the contest. She has eclipsed 20 digs for the ninth time this season, including twice in the last three matches. Pec also reached double-figures with 12 and freshman
Caroline Sheaffer tallied 10 digs on Wednesday. Mount Olive tallied 13 service aces with Pec pacing the team with five and Goodman adding three aces. The Trojans controlled the net with 11 blocks after Pec, Jackson and Eziakonwa all posted three blocks.
In the fifth set, UMO seized a 6-0 lead following a pair of service aces from Pec before the Patriots halted the run with a kill. The Trojans rattled off three of the next four points to take an 8-2 advantage before Francis Marion closed the gap with four-straight points, 9-6. The Patriots generated four of the following six points to cut the deficit to 11-10 before UMO answered with back-to-back kills. Both teams traded the next four points with Eziakonwa securing the win with a kill, 15-12.
Francis Marion established a 1-0 advantage after totaling 14 kills in the opening set. The Patriots posted a 9-5 differential before a 5-2 rally by Mount Olive trimmed the deficit to 11-10. Both teams exchanged points down the stretch with Francis Marion maintaining a one-point lead, 19-18. The Patriots produced a 5-1 run to extend the lead to 24-19 before the Trojans notched three-consecutive points, 24-22. Francis Marion claimed the first set by a 25-22 margin following a kill.
UMO tied the contest at 1-1 in the second after another close set that featured seven different ties. Mount Olive managed to take a 12-9 lead behind three-straight points, including an ace from Eziakonwa. The Patriots strung together four of the following seven points to close the gap to 15-13 before a 6-1 rally by the Trojans allowed the team to build a 21-14 advantage. Francis Marion managed to cut the lead to 22-17 before a 3-1 run finished the set, 25-18.
Francis Marion reclaimed the lead in the third by a 2-1 margin after the set included nine ties and just two lead changes. With the match tied at 11-11, the Patriots rattled off five of the following seven points to hold a 16-13 advantage. Mount Olive countered with a 3-1 rally to cut into the deficit before Francis Marion closed the set with an 8-3 rally to win by a score of 25-19.
In the fourth, the Trojans overcame a 10-point deficit in the set to win by a 26-24 margin. Francis Marion achieved a 13-6 lead behind six-straight points before a kill from Pec halted the run. The Patriots stretched the lead to 18-8 before UMO registered an 8-1 rally to trim the lead to 19-16. Francis Marion notched four of the next six points to extend the advantage to 23-18 before another 8-1 run by Mount Olive sealed the fourth set, 26-24.
The Trojans return to action on Friday, Oct. 21, when they travel to face Southern Wesleyan in league action at 6 p.m.
