FLORENCE, S.C. (Oct. 18) – Senior
Neza Pec delivered an outstanding performance with 15 kills and 31 digs, as the Trojans registered a 3-1 victory at Francis Marion on Wednesday night in Conference Carolinas action.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive women's volleyball program improves to 15-7 this season with a 9-2 mark in league play. The Trojans entered the contest No. 1 in the latest KPI standings after defeating North Greenville on the road on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Patriots fall to 10-13 overall behind a 6-4 record in conference action.
Pec led all players with 15 kills on a .343 hitting percentage while also pacing the defensive effort with 31 digs on Wednesday. Junior
Callie Mullins produced 13 kills with three blocks and three digs while teammate
Ashlyn Stone recorded 12 kills and nine digs. Fellow junior
Karoline Cox also reached double-digit kills with 10 on a .429 clip with three blocks and four digs. Senior
Jenna Myer guided the offense with 31 assists, two aces and eight digs, while freshman
Lyndsay Reid tallied 21 assists and 11 digs against the Patriots.
Senior libero
Morgan Prots contributed 26 digs in the win and sophomore
Caroline Sheaffer reached double figures with 10 digs and two aces.
The Patriots established an early 9-3 advantage in the opening set behind six kills before both sides traded the following six points, 12-6. Mount Olive countered with a 5-1 rally, including a pair of kills from Cox to cut the deficit to 13-11. Following an FMU timeout, the Trojans tied the contest at 16-16 before being deadlocked three more times, 20-20. UMO delivered three consecutive kills to take a 23-20 lead, but Francis Marion responded with a 7-2 run to capture the first set, 27-25.
The Trojans built an early 8-3 advantage in the second set behind a pair of kills from Stone and Mullins. The Patriots quickly closed the gap to 8-7 with four straight points, but UMO tallied five of the next eight points to hold a 13-10 lead. After an FMU timeout, Mount Olive scored four unanswered to stretch the lead to 17-10 before Francis Marion mounted an 8-3 run to cut the deficit to 20-18. The Trojans totaled four of the following five points to take a 24-19 lead before later sealing the win on a kill by Pec, 25-21.
In the third set, Francis Marion took a 9-7 lead following a 5-1 run before UMO tallied back-to-back points to tie the contest, 9-9. The Patriots recorded five of the following seven points to hold a 14-11 advantage, but the Trojans countered with a 10-1 rally, including a pair of aces from Sheaffer, to establish a 21-15 lead. FMU answered back to close the gap to 23-22 before Stone produced back-to-back kills to win the set, 25-22.
The Patriots created an early 7-5 edge in the fourth set before the teams exchanged the next five points, 9-8. UMO found their rhythm and registered eight straight points with two aces from Myer to take a commanding 16-9 lead. FMU scored two of the next three points to trim the deficit before an 8-2 run by Mount Olive secured the victory, 25-13.
Mount Olive returns to divisional play on Friday, Oct. 20, when it faces rival Barton, starting at 7 p.m.
