FAIRFAX, Va. (Feb. 3) – In their opening match of the DC Challenge on Friday evening, the Trojans fell by a 3-0 margin against Purdue Fort Wayne in non-conference action on the campus of George Mason University.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball drops to 4-2 this season while playing a pair of neutral sites matches this week. It marked the fourth meeting between the sides, with the Mastodons winning all four matches. Meanwhile, Purdue Fort Wayne extends its winning streak to six straight and improves to 7-1 overall with a 2-0 record against Conference Carolinas opponents.

Senior Pedro Gonzalez delivered a season-high 12 kills on a .706 hitting percentage, and junior Hayden Frear tallied eight kills on a .333 clip with two aces. Sophomore Holden Maryott registered six kills on a .556 hitting percentage, while junior Justin Gregory and sophomore Tate Sandvig totaled five kills on Friday. Freshman Jackson Lahey led the offensive effort with 32 assists and added four digs against the Mastodons.

Senior Trevor Treser directed the defensive effort with 13 digs, while Frear produced five digs. At the net, Gonzalez recorded a season-high five blocks, with Frear and Lahey each tallying three blocks in the loss.

Both sides posted double-digit kills in the opening set, with Purdue Fort Wayne taking a 1-0 lead behind a 25-21 margin. Mount Olive established an early 7-3 advantage following a kill from Frear before Mastodons scored six of the following nine points to close the gap to 10-9. The Trojans stretched the lead to 16-13 after kills from three different players. Purdue Fort Wayne countered with six-consecutive points to take a 19-16 advantage, but UMO responded with a 3-1 rally to trim the deficit to 20-19. The Mastodons claimed the first set behind a 5-2 run to win, 25-21.

The second set featured nine ties and two lead changes, each team hitting over a .300 clip. After little separation in the initial points registered, Purdue Fort Wayne scored five of the following six points to develop a 14-10 advantage. The Trojans rallied with four-straight points, including a trio of kills, to tie the contest at 14-14. The Mastodons found an offensive rhythm with a 10-4 run to break open a 24-18 lead before closing out the set with a kill, 25-19.

Purdue Fort Wayne completed the sweep by a score of 27-25 after a competitive third set. Mount Olive took an early 5-0 advantage after capitalizing on multiple errors by the opponent. The Mastodons answered by totaling six of the following nine points to trail by an 8-6 margin. After exchanging points to the midway points of the set, Purdue Fort Wayne mounted a 6-2 run to tie the match, 16-16. The Mastodons eventually took a 24-22 advantage after three-straight points, but UMO battled off match point with a 3-0 rally. Purdue Fort Wayne responded by scoring three unanswered to collect the sweep, 27-25.

The Trojans return to the court tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 4, when they face Lewis in the DC Challenge, starting at 4 p.m.