FLORENCE, S.C. (Oct. 1) – Behind four players with double-digit kills, the University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team produced a 3-1 victory at Francis Marion on Tuesday night in Conference Carolinas action.
With the win, the Trojans improve to 6-6 this season behind a 3-2 mark in league play. Mount Olive has earned sixth-straight wins over FMU dating back to 2021, including four victories in Florence, South Carolina. Meanwhile, the Patriots fall to 2-9 overall with a 1-1 record in conference action.
Senior
Ashlyn Stone delivered a game-high 19 kills on a staggering .405 clip while adding 12 digs over four sets. Freshman
Olivia Melvin registered 12 kills, three aces, and two blocks against the Patriots on Tuesday. Senior
Kate Carter had an excellent all-around performance with 11 kills, two aces, and five blocks. In her first appearance of the season, senior
Callie Mullins totaled 10 kills on a .308 hitting percentage. Junior
Breanna Tanton directed the offense with 46 assists while adding five aces, two blocks, and 13 digs in the win.
Freshman
Kacey Gore led the defensive effort with a season-high 24 digs and tallied seven assists. Tanton and Stone recorded double-digit digs while junior
Caroline Sheaffer finished with 11 digs and three aces.
Francis Marion established an early 10-4 advantage in the opening set, but UMO scored five of the following six points to close the gap to 11-9. The Patriots responded by tallying four unanswered points to regain a 15-9 lead before Mount Olive cut the deficit to 18-15 behind four different players recording a kill. The match was tied up three times late in the set before FMU registered four of the final six points to earn the win, 25-23.
In the second set, UMO quickly built a 7-2 advantage behind a pair of kills by Stone to force an early timeout by their opponents. The Patriots managed to tie the contest at 10-10 before Mount Olive mounted a 10-3 run to hold a 20-12 lead. FMU again rallied to close the gap to 21-17, but the Trojans closed the set and posted a 25-19 victory.
Both sides exchanged points early in the third set before the Trojans went on a 9-1 run with a trio of kills from Mullins, 15-6. The Patriots totaled three of the following five points before the teams traded the next four points, 19-11. Mount Olive scored three unanswered points before sealing the third set by a 25-15 margin.
In the fourth set, FMU held a 10-7 edge before the Trojans closed the gap to 12-11 behind kills from three players. The Patriots quickly reclaimed a multiple-point lead at 16-12, but UMO rallied to tie the match at 16-16. With Francis Marion ahead 19-16 late in the set, Mount Olive scored nine consecutive points to claim the win, 25-19.
Mount Olive returns to the court on Friday, Oct. 4, when it travels to face UNC Pembroke in league play at 6 p.m.
