MOUNT OLIVE (Oct. 11) – Kicking off a five-match homestand at Kornegay Arena, the University of Mount Olive volleyball program produced a 3-1 win over King in Conference Carolinas action on Friday night.
With the win, the Trojans capture a fifth consecutive victory to improve to 10-6 this season behind a 7-2 mark in league play. Mount Olive registers a fourth straight win against King dating back to 2022 with a pair of victories at Kornegay Arena. Meanwhile, the Tornado fall to 4-6 overall with a 2-4 record in conference action.
Senior
Ashlyn Stone matched a career-high with 23 kills while contributing two service aces, two blocks, and 15 digs in four sets. Freshman
Olivia Melvin finished with 11 kills on a .348 hitting percentage and added three blocks on Friday night. Senior
Callie Mullins totaled nine kills on a .348 clip with one block and four digs. Fellow senior
Kate Carter recorded seven kills on a .333 hitting percentage while adding five blocks. Sophomore
Lyndsay Reid directed the offense with an assist/dig double-double behind 23 assists and 13 digs. Junior
Breanna Tanton finished with 18 assists and eight digs against the Tornado.
Junior
Caroline Sheaffer led the defense with a career-high 27 digs and produced three service aces. Stone and Reid each reached double-digit digs in the match while freshman
Kacey Gore tallied nine digs and five assists.
After exchanging points, a majority of the first set, Mount Olive mounted an 8-1 run behind a trio of kills by Stone to build a 16-7 advantage. King battled back to trim the deficit to 21-17 before the Trojans scored three of the following four points, 24-18. The Tornado recorded consecutive points, but Stone finished the set with a kill, 25-20.
In the second set, UMO held a 7-5 edge before King stormed back with an 8-1 rally to establish a 13-8 lead. With the Tornado ahead by an 18-12 margin, the Trojans registered eight unanswered points to take a 20-18 advantage. King scored back-to-back points to tie the contest before Mount Olive recorded three straight points, 23-20. The Tornado escaped the second set with a 25-23 victory following a 5-0 run.
Both sides remained within striking distance of the lead until late in the third set. With UMO ahead by a score of 15-14, the Trojans recorded eight of the following nine points with kills from three players to build a 23-15 advantage. Mount Olive ultimately sealed the set by a 25-17 margin after a service ace by Tanton.
The Trojans built a 4-3 edge in the fourth set before scoring eight unanswered points to take a 12-3 lead. The Tornado managed to trim the deficit to 21-16, but UMO countered with three of the next six points to reach match point, 24-19. Carter would deliver the final point on a kill to earn a 25-21 win.
Mount Olive returns to the court tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 12, to face Lees-McRae in league play at Kornegay Arena, starting at 1 p.m.
