FLORENCE, S.C. (Sept. 23) – The University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team remained undefeated in Conference Carolinas action after posting a 3-2 win in a five-set thriller at Francis Marion on Friday night.

With the win, the Trojans improve to 9-6 this season with a 3-0 record in league play. Mount Olive has won six of its last seven matches and tallied double-digit service aces in six-consecutive contests. Meanwhile, the Patriots drop to 7-7 overall behind a 2-3 mark in conference action.

Sophomore Ashlyn Stone registered a season-high 17 kills in the win while adding six digs and two blocks. She sits second on the team with 129 points and 115 kills this year. Senior Amara Eziakonwa tallied 15 kills on a .448 hitting percentage and has totaled double-digit kills in eight matches this season. Freshman Sam Widelski delivered eight kills and a season-high 16 digs, while sophomore Neza Pec finished with five kills on Friday. Seniors Madison Goodman and Jenna Myer directed the offense with 30 and 16 assists, respectively.

Sophomore Morgan Prots guided the defensive effort with a season-high 31 digs against the Patriots. She paces the conference with 5.29 digs per set, while ranking second with 222 digs this season. The Trojans controlled the net with senior Alyssa Jackson matching a career-high with eight blocks and teammate Camryn Huber posting five blocks.

In the fifth set, UMO established to 5-1 advantage after a pair of service aces from Prots. Francis Marion answered with three of the following four points before the Trojans tallied back-to-back points, 8-4. The Patriots rallied with a 5-1 run to tie the match at 9-9 before Mount Olive worked the lead back up to 12-10. Francis Marion tied the contest at 13-13 before Eziakonwa delivered a kill, and Goodman sealed the match with a service ace, 15-13.

The Trojans took the opening set by a 25-23 margin behind 12 kills and three total blocks. After being tied at 8-8, the Patriots used a 7-3 run to grab a 15-14 lead after capitalizing on four attacking errors. The Trojans countered by scoring three of the following four points before tying the contest at 17-17. Both teams exchanged points before Mount Olive used a 4-1 run behind a pair of kills from Eziakonwa to claim the initial set.

Francis Marion tied the match at 1-1 after the Trojans posted 12 attacking errors in the second set. UMO established the initial lead at 3-1 before the Patriots rallied with an 11-3 run to take the advantage, 12-6. Mount Olive answered back with three-straight points to cut into the deficit before both teams traded the next nine points. Francis Marion scored three-consecutive points to stretch the lead to 20-14 before Eziakonwa delivered a kill to keep the Trojans in striking distance. The Patriots secured a 5-1 run behind a pair of kills and aces to win by a 25-16 margin.

Mount Olive would take the third set by a score of 25-20 after totaling 12 kills and holding Francis Marion to a negative hitting percentage. The Patriots established a consistent advantage early in the set at 12-8 before UMO countered with a 7-1 run to take a 15-13 lead. The Patriots would remain within three points of the lead late in the set before Mount Olive tallied four of the final five points behind kills from Stone and Eziakonwa.

Francis Marion tied the match in the fourth set with 13 kills on a .324 clip. Both sides were knotted at 8-8 before the Patriots registered five-straight points to take a 13-8 advantage. Following a service error, Francis Marion continued to the lead by scoring four of the following six points, 17-11. UMO managed to close the gap to 20-17 late in the set, but the Patriots tallied four kills and forced an attacking error to take the fourth by a 25-19 margin.

The Trojans return to play tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 24, when they travel to face UNC Pembroke in conference play at 2 p.m.