MOUNT OLIVE (Oct. 19) – The University of Mount Olive women's volleyball program registered 46 kills and 13 service aces on Saturday afternoon in a 3-0 sweep over Southern Wesleyan in Conference Carolinas action at Kornegay Arena.
With the win, the Trojans collect their seventh straight victory to improve to 12-6 this season behind a 9-2 mark in league play. Mount Olive claims its sixth straight win over Southern Wesleyan in the series with five sweeps in a row. Meanwhile, the Warriors fall to 7-8 overall with a 4-5 record in conference action.
Senior
Ashlyn Stone produced a game-high 12 kills on an impressive .417 hitting percentage with three aces, one block, and five digs. Sophomore
Kaitlyn Landis reached double-digit kills with 10, while senior
Karoline Cox finished with nine kills on a .333 clip, adding two service aces. Senior
Callie Mullins posted eight kills and two digs in a sweep over the Warriors. Sophomore
Lyndsay Reid directed the offense with an assist/dig double-double behind 26 assists, 10 digs, and two aces. Junior
Breanna Tanton finished with 12 assists, one ace, one block, and two digs.
Freshman
Kacey Gore led the defensive effort with 11 digs while fellow freshman
Olivia Melvin controlled the net with three blocks.
The Trojans built an early 7-2 lead in the opening set after recording three straight kills to begin the match. Mount Olive held a significant advantage at 14-6 before SWU battled back with five of the next seven points to close the gap to 16-11. UMO finished the first set with a 9-2 run as Stone recorded three kills and two aces to seal a 25-13 win.
Mount Olive scored four consecutive points to start the second set, but the Warriors quickly responded with five unanswered points. The Trojans countered by scoring seven of the following nine points to regain an 11-7 edge before UMO eventually stretched the lead to 16-10. After exchanging the next six points, Southern Wesleyan tallied four straight points to trim the deficit to 19-17. Mount Olive mounted a 6-2 run to close the second set behind a pair of kills from senior
Kate Carter, 25-19.
In the third set, the Trojans established a 16-7 lead following a pair of runs with Cox registering three kills. The Warriors responded with 11 unanswered points to take an 18-16 edge before UMO tied the contest with consecutive kills. With the match knotted at 22-22, SWU reached set point with back-to-back kills to hold a 24-22 lead before the Trojans secured the victory with four straight points, 26-24.
Mount Olive returns to Kornegay Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 23, to face UNC Pembroke in Conference Carolinas play at 6 p.m.
