MOUNT OLIVE (Oct. 5) – Senior
Callie Mullins produced a game-high 17 kills on an impressive .577 clip, as the University of Mount Olive women's volleyball program secured a 3-1 win over North Greenville on Saturday afternoon at Kornegay Arena.
With the win, the Trojans claimed their third-straight victory and improved to 8-6 this season behind a 5-2 mark in league play. Mount Olive has won the last three meetings in the series and earned their first win over the Trailblazers in Kornegay Arena since 2013. Meanwhile, North Greenville fell to 4-10 overall with a 2-1 record in conference action after competing in its first match since Sept. 25 following the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
Mullins delivered an outstanding offensive performance with 17 kills on a .577 hitting percentage while tallying two blocks and two digs. Junior
Sam Widelski finished with 10 kills, five aces, one block, and six digs. Senior
Kate Carter reached double-figures with 10 kills on a .350 clip with a team-high four blocks. Senior
Ashlyn Stone operated all over the court on Saturday after totaling 11 kills, 19 assists, two aces, two blocks, and nine digs over four sets. Junior
Breanna Tanton directed the offense with 23 assists, two aces, and four digs.
Stone and freshman
Kacey Gore led the defensive effort with nine digs while junior
Caroline Sheaffer finished with seven digs and a pair of service aces.
North Greenville established an 8-6 edge in the opening set before the Trojans rallied back with four consecutive points to take a 10-8 advantage. UMO held the lead until the Trailblazers scored five unanswered to reclaim a 16-14 edge. Mount Olive eventually tied the contest before tallying six of the following 10 points to hold a 22-20 lead. NGU countered with five straight points, including two aces, to steal the first set by a 25-22 margin.
After trading points a majority of the second set, the Trojans mounted an 8-3 run behind two kills by Widelski to build a 21-15 advantage. North Greenville rallied with back-to-back points, but the Trojans finished with a 5-1 run to secure the set, 25-18.
In the third set, UMO quickly took a 5-0 lead behind a trio of kills from Carter before eventually extending the advantage to 12-7. The Trailblazers rallied with seven of the following nine points to tie the match at 14-14. The contest would be tied two additional times down the stretch before UMO scored four of the final six points to capture the set, 25-23.
With the fourth set knotted at 8-8, Mount Olive registered six straight points to hold a 14-8 lead. The teams exchanged the next eight points before the Trojans sealed the victory with a 7-1 run, 25-13.
Mount Olive returns to the court on Wednesday, Oct. 9, to face rival Barton on the road in divisional play at 6 p.m.
