MURFREESBORO, N.C. (Oct. 10) – Despite building a two-set advantage on Tuesday night, the University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team suffered a 3-2 loss at Chowan in divisional Conference Carolinas play.
With the loss, the Trojans drop to 12-7 overall with a 6-2 mark in conference action. Mount Olive holds a 1-2 record in the east division following three matches and prepares for six straight contests on the road. Meanwhile, the Hawks improve to 4-15 this season behind a 3-6 record in league play.
Junior
Ashlyn Stone recorded a season-high 19 kills while adding 13 digs, two service aces, and one block. Fellow junior
Karoline Cox produced a career-high 14 kills on a .333 hitting percentage with three aces, two blocks, and seven digs. Freshman
Kaitlyn Landis also reached double-figures with 10 kills while adding five digs. Teammate
Lyndsay Reid directed the offense with 32 assists and 11 digs, while senior
Jenna Myer totaled 13 assists and eight digs on Tuesday.
Senior
Morgan Prots guided the defense with 18 digs and three assists, while Stone also tallied double-digit digs. Reid and sophomore
Caroline Sheaffer contributed 11 digs each in the loss. Sophomore
Kate Carter controlled the net with four blocks.
Following an early 4-4 tie in the first set, the Trojans responded by scoring seven of the next nine points to build an 11-6 advantage. Chowan countered by tallying three consecutive points to cut the deficit to 11-9 before UMO delivered back-to-back points. After a timeout, the Hawks mounted a 6-0 run to take a 15-13 lead, but Mount Olive rallied to tie the contest, 19-19. The Trojans took a 23-20 advantage late in the set behind a pair of kills by Cox before taking the opening set by a 25-22 margin.
In the second set, Chowan established an early 6-5 lead before UMO totaled five of the following seven points to claim a 10-8 advantage. The Trojans eventually stretched the lead to 16-13 after a service ace by Prots, but the Hawks answered with four straight points to take the lead, 17-16. Following a timeout, Mount Olive delivered an 8-1 rally to hold a 24-18 advantage. Chowan produced a point before Stone registered a kill to win the set, 25-19.
The Hawks trailed by a 6-5 margin in the third set before rallying off seven consecutive points to take a 12-6 lead. Mount Olive scored four of the following five points to trim the deficit to 13-10. Chowan countered with four unanswered points to extend the advantage to 17-10, but the Trojans responded to close the gap to 22-20. After a timeout, the Hawks delivered two kills and a block to seal the set, 25-20.
In the fourth set, Mount Olive raced out to an 11-5 advantage before Chowan cut the deficit to 11-10 behind five straight points. UMO extended the lead to 16-12 on a pair of kills by Cox and Stone, but the Hawks rallied back with three unanswered points, 16-15. Chowan tied the contest at 20-20 before the Trojans reached match point at 24-23. The Hawks countered with three consecutive points to force a fifth set, 26-24.
Chowan established an early 5-1 advantage in the fifth before the Trojans closed the gap to 6-3. After trading the next four points, Chowan scored consecutive points to take a 10-5 lead. UMO countered with three unanswered points to trail 10-8 before the Hawks mounted a 4-1 run to hold a 14-9 lead. The Trojans scored back-to-back points, but Chowan captured the win on a kill, 15-11.
The Trojans return to league play on Friday, Oct. 13, when they travel to face Southern Wesleyan, starting at 6 p.m.
