MOUNT OLIVE (Oct. 28) – The University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team totaled 41 kills on a .347 hitting percentage in a 3-0 sweep over Belmont Abbey on Saturday afternoon in Conference Carolinas play at Kornegay Arena.

With the win, the Trojans registered their seventh-straight win at home to improve to 18-9 overall behind a 12-2 mark in league action. Mount Olive remains No. 1 in the KPI standings following the weekend with three matches remaining of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Crusaders drop to 4-17 this season with a 4-9 mark in conference play.

Junior Karoline Cox led all players with 13 kills on a .500 clip with five digs, two aces, and one block. Fellow junior Ashlyn Stone finished with seven kills and three digs, while senior Neza Pec produced seven kills on a .313 hitting percentage with 10 digs and five services aces. Sophomore Kate Carter also tallied seven kills on a .636 clip against the Crusaders. Senior Jenna Myer directed the offense with 21 assists and four digs, while freshman Lyndsay Reid totaled 13 assists and four digs.

Senior libero Morgan Prots led the defensive effort with 12 digs and five assists on Saturday. UMO recorded 11 aces in the victory led by Pec with five, while sophomore Caroline Sheaffer finished with three aces.

The Trojans managed to build an early 6-3 lead in the first set before mounting a 7-1 run to take a 13-4 advantage with kills from four different players. The sides traded the next four points before Mount Olive scored seven unanswered points with a pair of kills from Stone to hold a 22-6 lead. The Crusaders tallied consecutive points, but the Trojans finished the set by scoring three of the final four points, 25-9.

In the second set, Mount Olive held a slight 4-3 edge before going on an 8-1 run with two kills by Carter to take a 12-4 advantage. Belmont Abbey trimmed the deficit to 14-9, but the Trojans countered with three consecutive points, including a pair of aces by Pec. The Crusaders once again closed the gap to 17-13, but the Trojans mounted an 8-3 run to capture the second set by a 25-16 margin.

Belmont Abbey jumped ahead 5-4 in the third set before UMO responded with seven straight points to take an 11-5 advantage. The Crusaders cut the deficit to 14-10, but the Trojans tallied three unanswered points to take a 17-10 lead. After scoring five of the following eight points, Belmont Abbey closed the gap to 20-15 before eventually trailing by a 23-19 margin. Mount Olive registered kills on two of the final three points to earn the win, 25-20.

The Trojans return to play on Tuesday, Oct. 31, when they face Chowan on Halloween Night at Kornegay Arena, starting at 6 p.m.