FORT VALLEY, Ga. (Jan. 28) – The University of Mount Olive men's volleyball team featured a balanced offensive attack with 41 kills on a .392 clip in a 3-0 sweep over Fort Valley State on Saturday night in non-conference play.

With the win, the Trojans improve to 4-1 overall and collect a pair of wins following their road trip to Georgia. UMO faced two programs in the Peach State in their second year as a team. Meanwhile, the Wildcats drop to 0-4 this season with all four losses against Conference Carolinas opponents.

Redshirt junior Hayden Frear paced the team with 10 kills on a .474 hitting percentage with two blocks and three digs. The Colorado native ranks first on the team with 3.79 points and 3.21 kills per set through five matches. Senior Pedro Gonzalez finished with eight kills on a .636 clip with a pair of blocks, while junior Justin Gregory also totaled eight kills, two blocks, and two digs in the win. Sophomore Tate Sandvig finished with eight kills and nine digs against the Wildcats. Freshman Jackson Lahey directed the offense with 34 assists, which marks his third match with at least 30 assists this season.

Sophomore Blake Hosic and Sandvig led the defensive effort with nine digs, while Lahey produced seven on Saturday. The Trojans registered eight service aces, led by Lahey with three, while sophomore Holden Maryott controlled the net with four blocks.

Mount Olive claimed the opening set by a 25-18 margin behind 10 kills while limiting its opponent it just a .227 hitting percentage. The Trojans built an early 8-3 advantage in the first following a pair of aces from Lahey before both sides traded points through the midway point of the set. UMO totaled three-straight points to open up a 17-10 lead before Fort Valley State closed the gap by scoring four of the following six points, 19-14. Mount Olive eventually took a 24-18 advantage before a service error secured the first set, 25-18.

The Trojans attacked at over a .450 clip in the second set with 13 kills to take a 2-0 advantage in the match. Mount Olive managed a 9-7 lead following three unanswered points after a pair of aces from Frear. The Wildcats tied the contest at 11-11, but UMO countered with four-straight points to go ahead 15-11. Fort Valley State tallied five of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 18-16 before the Trojans took a 22-18 advantage. The Wildcats closed the lead to 23-20 before UMO claimed the set with back-to-back points, 25-20.

Mount Olive recorded the sweep in the third after the set featured 10 ties and five lead changes. Fort Valley State quickly established a 9-6 lead before scoring five of the following eight points to extend the advantage, 14-9. The Trojans responded with an 8-2 run, including a combined six kills from Frear and Gonzalez to take a 17-16 advantage. The Wildcats battled back to claim a 20-19 lead before both teams traded the next five points. UMO rallied down two points and registered four straight with a kill from Gonzalez winning the match, 25-23.

Mount Olive returns to action on Friday, Feb. 3, when its travels to Fairfax, Virginia for the D.C. Challenge to face Purdue Fort Wayne at 5 p.m. on the campus of George Mason.