MOUNT OLIVE (April 8) – After registering 51 kills on a .327 clip with 14 blocks on Saturday afternoon, the Trojans captured a 3-1 victory versus Tusculum on Senior Day in non-conference action at Kornegay Arena.

With the win, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball team improves to 10-16 overall in their home finale before closing the regular season on Thursday, April 13, at Barton. The Trojans swept the season series against the Pioneers and boasted a 4-0 record in the all-time series dating back to 2020. Meanwhile, Tusculum drops to 9-17 this season with a 3-11 mark on the road.

Sophomore Tate Sandvig paced the team with 14 kills on a .448 hitting percentage with five blocks, four digs, and two service aces. Junior Justin Gregory delivered 12 kills on a .333 clip with six digs and three blocks, while teammate Chance Gallardo finished with eight kills on a .400 clip with six digs. Freshman Jackson Lahey directed the offense with his sixth assist/dig double-double of the year after tallying 42 assists and 10 digs against the Pioneers.

On the defensive end, senior libero Trevor Treser produced a game-high 16 digs with four assists, while Lahey also reached double-digit digs. The Trojans totaled 14 total blocks, as senior Pedro Gonzalez controlled the net with a career-high eight blocks (two solo).

In the opening set, the Pioneers jumped ahead by a 5-3 margin before UMO responded with four-straight points after kills from three different players, 7-5. Tusculum eventually tied the contest at 11-11 before the sides exchanged the following nine points. The Pioneers pulled in front with a 6-1 run to hold a 21-17 edge before Mount Olive tallied four of the next six points, 23-21. Tusculum clinched the first set with back-to-back kills, 25-21.

The Trojans established a 6-3 lead in the second set before scoring six-straight points to take a 12-3 advantage. The Pioneers registered four of the following six points to cut the deficit to 14-7 before UMO answered with a 5-1 run to stretch the lead to 19-8. Mount Olive capitalized on three service errors late in the set before Sandvig closed the set with a kill, 25-13.

In the third set, UMO took an early 10-6 advantage after going on a 4-1 run with kills from Gregory and Gallardo. The Pioneers remained within striking distance of the lead before trimming the deficit to 17-14. The Trojans countered by tallying six of the following seven points with three blocks to grab a comfortable 23-15 lead. Tusculum responded with back-to-back points before Mount Olive sealed the set by a 25-17 margin.

Following three ties in the opening points of the fourth set, the Trojans mounted a 9-1 rally with a pair of kills by Gregory to take an 18-10 edge. Following a service error, Mount Olive claimed the fourth set by scoring seven of the final eight points with kills from five UMO players, 25-12.

Mount Olive returns to action on Thursday, April 13, when it travels to face Barton for the final regular season match of Conference Carolinas play, starting at 7 p.m.