MOUNT OLIVE (Sept. 20) – Juniors Karoline Cox and Ashlyn Stone combined for 22 kills on Wednesday night, as the Trojans registered a 3-1 win over rival Barton in the opening match of Conference Carolinas play at Kornegay Arena.

With the win, the University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team improves to 7-5 overall behind a 1-0 mark in league action. The Trojans have won the last six meetings in the series and are preparing for two more conference matches this weekend. Meanwhile, Barton drops to 4-5 this season with a 0-1 record in league play.

Cox totaled a game-high 12 kills on a .556 hitting percentage while adding four service aces and two digs. Stone also reached double-figures with 10 kills and tallied three digs against the Bulldogs on Wednesday. Sophomore Kate Carter and freshman Kaitlyn Landis each recorded nine kills in the win, while junior Callie Mullins finished with eight kills. The Trojans featured a balanced offensive effort as senior Jenna Myer had 23 assists and freshman Lyndsay Reid posted an assist/dig double-double with 22 assists and 11 digs.

Senior Morgan Prots led the defense with 18 digs while Reid and fellow senior Neza Pec also produced double-digit digs. Mount Olive registered 12 service aces in the victory, led by Cox with four and three from Myer. Landis controlled the net for the Trojans with four blocks (two solos).

UMO delivered 14 kills in the first set behind a .448 hitting percentage to take an early 1-0 advantage. The Trojans quickly established an 11-4 lead following a pair of kills from Landis before a 7-2 rally by Barton closed the deficit to 13-11. Mount Olive countered by scoring 10 of the next 12 points to stretch the advantage to 23-13 before finishing the set with a pair of kills, 25-15.

After exchanging the lead in the opening points of the set, the Bulldogs took a 12-9 advantage before the Trojans tied the set at 12-12 with three consecutive points. Both sides countered with short 4-0 runs before Barton regained the lead 20-16. Mount Olive responded with three straight points, including two kills from Mullins, to close the gap to 20-19. The second set eventually tied again at 23-23, but the Bulldogs sealed it with back-to-back blocks, 25-23.

In the third set, the Trojans managed to take an early 9-4 lead after a service ace by Prots before the Bulldogs answered back to cut the deficit to 14-12. UMO followed up with six consecutive points to stretch the lead to 20-12 before scoring five of the final eight points to win the set, 25-15.

Barton established a narrow 5-4 advantage to start the fourth set before the Trojans mounted a 7-2 rally to take an 11-6 lead. The teams traded the next six points before the Bulldogs closed the gap to 14-12 on a pair of service aces. Mount Olive tallied seven of the next nine points to extend the lead to 21-15, but Barton countered with three unanswered points, 21-18. The Trojans secured the victory with four straight points to win the set by a 25-18 margin.

Mount Olive returns to Kornegay Arena on Friday, Sept. 22, when it hosts Erskine in conference action, starting at 6 p.m.