MOUNT OLIVE (Sept. 8) – Hosting a five-team invitational at Kornegay Arena, the Trojans registered a split on the opening day with a 3-1 victory over Shepherd before suffering a 3-1 loss to West Virginia State on Friday.

Against Shepherd (1-4) of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), the University of Mount Olive volleyball team recorded a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-20, 27-25, 25-14) after tallying 54 kills and 13 service aces in the first match of the invitational. Sophomore Kate Carter led the Trojans with 15 kills on a .500 hitting percentage while producing four blocks. Junior Ashlyn Stone delivered her second kill/dig double-double of the season with 14 kills and a team-leading 18 digs against the Rams. Additionally, senior Neza Pec and junior Callie Mullins contributed eight and seven kills, respectively. Freshman Lyndsay Reid guided the offense with 25 assists, while senior Jenna Myer totaled 17 assists in the win.

Defensively, senior Morgan Prots registered 17 digs while adding four service aces and three assists. Pec also delivered a strong defensive performance with 16 digs and produced four aces for Mount Olive.

Against West Virginia State (3-3) of the Mountain East Conference (MEC), both teams hit at a .310 hitting percentage with over 50 kills in the four-set match. Stone totaled double-digit kills with 15 behind a .440 clip with two blocks. Freshman Kaitlyn Landis saw significant playing time and recorded 10 kills, while Pec contributed nine kills, 11 digs, and two service aces. Lyndsay directed the offense with 22 assists with Myer following close behind with 21 assists versus the Yellow Jackets.

Prots led the defensive effort with 19 digs and six assists, while junior Karoline Cox controlled the net with three blocks on Friday.

UMO returns to the court on Saturday, Sept. 9 for a pair of matches against Newberry and Shaw at Kornegay Arena with the Mount Olive Invitational continuing at 11 a.m.