CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Jan. 18) – The University of Mount Olive men's volleyball program conceded 49 kills on a .592 hitting percentage in a 3-0 loss at Queens in non-conference play on Thursday night.
With the loss, the Trojans drop to 2-1 this season after opening the year with a pair of wins at the Macon Invitational last week. Queens has won the last four meetings between the sides while holding a 6-5 edge in the series. Meanwhile, the Royals improve to 2-3 overall with both victories against Conference Carolinas opponents.
Sophomore
Kory Grant tied a team-high with eight kills on an impressive .533 clip while adding one block and three digs. Senior
Hayden Frear also registered eight kills with two digs over three sets. Fellow senior
Justin Gregory produced six kills and a trio of service aces. Sophomore
Jackson Lahey guided the offense with 26 assists while recording a pair of digs on Thursday.
Sophomore
Mert Asma led the defensive effort with seven digs and Gregory tallied five digs against the Royals.
In the first set, Queens established an early 5-3 advantage before the Trojans countered with back-to-back kills from Gregory and Grant to tie the match. The Royals scored seven of the following 10 points to take a 12-8 lead, but UMO answered with consecutive points, including a kill by junior
Holden Maryott. The sides exchanged the next five points before Mount Olive closed the gap to 17-16 following a service error. Queens finished the opening set with a 6-1 run behind four kills to claim a 25-18 win.
The Royals registered a 5-1 advantage to begin the second set, but UMO countered by scoring seven of the next 10 points to tie the contest, 8-8. Queens mounted a 6-2 run to build a 14-10 lead before the teams traded the following nine points. The Royals stretched the lead to 21-15 after three straight points, but the Trojans responded by tallying three of the next four points, 22-18. Queens finished the second set with a 3-1 run to win by a 25-19 margin.
In the third set, Mount Olive held a 9-8 lead following a kill by Frear before the Royals rallied with a 10-1 run with three service aces to take an 18-10 advantage. Queens built a 21-11 lead before the Trojans answered by scoring four of the next five points to trail by a 22-15 margin. The Royals secured the sweep by tallying the final three points to win the set, 25-15.
Mount Olive returns to action next weekend on Jan. 26-27 at the VWU Invitational to compete in four matches in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
