MOUNT OLIVE (Sept. 23) – Junior Karoline Cox registered 11 kills on a .647 hitting percentage, as the Trojans posted a 3-0 sweep over league newcomer Young Harris on Saturday afternoon in Conference Carolinas play at Kornegay Arena.

With the win, the University of Mount Olive volleyball team improves to 9-5 overall with a 3-0 record in conference action. It marked the first meeting between the sides after the Mountain Lions started their program in the Fall 2020. Meanwhile, Young Harris falls to 6-6 this season behind a 3-2 mark in league play.

Cox led all players with 11 kills on a .647 clip while sophomore Kate Carter contributed eight kills on a .333 hitting percentage in the win. Senior Neza Pec and junior Ashlyn Stone each tallied six kills against the Mountain Lions. Freshman Lyndsay Reid guided the offense with her sixth assist/dig double-double after recording 21 assists and 10 digs. Senior Jenna Myer finished with 12 assists and six digs on Saturday.

Pec and senior Morgan Prots led the defensive effort with 12 digs each while Reid also reached double-figures. Mount Olive totaled double-digit service aces for the eighth time this year and registered 12 in the match, led by Stone with four.

The Trojans raced out to an early 7-1 advantage in the first set behind three kills from Stone before Young Harris answered back with five unanswered points, 7-6. Mount Olive responded with a 5-1 run to stretch the lead to 12-7, but the Mountain Lions countered with four straight points, 12-11. UMO continued to hold the lead behind six consecutive points, including three aces by Prots, 18-11. Young Harris rallied to close the gap to 20-19 before the Trojans scored five of the final eight points to take the first set, 25-22.

In the second set, the Mountain Lions established a 5-2 advantage before UMO rallied back with a 10-1 run to take a 13-7 lead. Young Harris scored two of the following three points, but Mount Olive continued to hold momentum to build to advantage to 23-10 behind four kills by Cox. Following a service error, the Trojans scored back-to-back points to claim the set, 25-10.

UMO quickly built a 9-3 lead to start the third set with a pair of kills from freshman Kaitlyn Landis. Both teams traded the next six points before the Trojans scored four of the next five points to hold a 16-7 advantage. The Mountain Lions mounted a 6-1 rally to cut the deficit to 17-13 before Mount Olive tallied three consecutive kills, 20-13. The Trojans maintained the lead down the final stretch and Pec delivered a kill to secure the win, 25-17.

Mount Olive returns to action on Friday, Sept. 29, when it travels to face King in Conference Carolinas action, starting at 6 p.m.