RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 16) – On the final day of the ShawU Volleyball Invitational, the University of Mount Olive volleyball program registered a split in a pair of matches after suffering a 3-1 loss to Alaska Fairbanks before recording a 3-2 reverse sweep over St. Augustine's on Saturday.
The Trojans sit at 6-5 overall after playing in three invitationals to start the 2023 campaign. Mount Olive won two of the three matches while competing in Raleigh this weekend and prepares to open Conference Carolinas play next Wednesday at Kornegay Arena.
Against Alaska Fairbanks (6-8) of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), the two sides met for the second time in program history after playing back in 2017. The Nanooks delivered a 3-1 win (21-25, 24-26, 25-22, 23-25) over Mount Olive after tallying 67 kills in the contest. Junior
Ashlyn Stone led the team with 14 kills and added three digs. Teammate
Karoline Cox produced 11 kills on a .455 hitting percentage with two service aces and three blocks, while fellow junior
Callie Mullins contributed eight kills on a .412 clip on Saturday. Senior
Jenna Myer guided the offense with 27 assists and freshman
Lyndsay Reid totaled 18 assists.
Senior
Neza Pec led the defensive effort with 18 digs while teammate
Morgan Prots produced 14 digs and three assists against the Nanooks. The Trojans tallied 10 service aces, led by Reid and sophomore
Caroline Sheaffer with three.
Against St. Augustine's (0-7) of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Mount Olive completed the reverse sweep with a 3-2 victory (20-25, 23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-11) behind a season-high 70 kills. Sophomore
Sam Widelski matched her career-high with 18 kills on a .419 hitting percentage with two blocks. Fellow sophomore
Kate Carter registered a career-high 17 kills on a .577 clip, while Stone and Cox each reached double-digit kills in the win. Reid recorded an assist/dig double-double behind career-highs of 48 assists and 12 digs.
Prots led the UMO defense with 22 digs while adding three service aces and three assists versus the Falcons. Sheaffer aided the Trojans with 11 digs and Cox controlled the net with five blocks.
The Trojans return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 20, when they host Barton for their Conference Carolinas opening match at Kornegay Arena, starting at 7 p.m.
