WILSON, N.C. (Oct. 9) – With three players registering double-digit kills, the Trojans extended their winning streak with a 3-1 victory over rival Barton in Conference Carolinas divisional play on Wednesday night.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team collects a fourth consecutive victory to improve to 9-6 overall with a 6-2 record in conference action. The Trojans completed the first half of divisional play with a perfect 4-0 record with all wins coming on the road. Meanwhile, Barton drops to 1-12 this season behind a 0-7 mark in league action.
Senior
Ashlyn Stone led the Trojans with a game-high 15 kills while recording two assists, and 14 digs in four sets. This season, she has recorded eight kill/dig double-doubles, including four in the last five matches. Sophomore
Kaitlyn Landis totaled 11 kills on a .323 hitting percentage with three digs. Freshman
Olivia Melvin finished with 11 kills while senior
Kate Carter contributed seven kills, three assists, and three blocks (all solos). Junior
Breanna Tanton guided the offense with 28 assists and 12 digs. Senior
Lyndsay Reid made her return to the lineup after missing four matches due to injury and finished with an assist/dig double-double behind 15 assists and 10 digs.
Junior
Caroline Sheaffer led the defensive effort with 20 digs while Stone, Tanton, and Reid reached double-figures. Freshman
Kacey Gore produced eight digs, two service aces, and one assist in the win on Wednesday.
After trading points a majority of the first set, the Bulldogs held an 11-9 advantage following back-to-back points. Mount Olive responded with six unanswered to take a 15-11 lead before Barton mounted a 6-1 rally to regain a 17-16 edge. Late in the set, the Trojans managed to take a 22-21 lead, but the Bulldogs scored four straight to escape with a 25-22 win.
UMO delivered a dominant performance in the second set behind 13 kills on a .333 clip. The Trojans raced out to a 4-1 lead before Barton quickly closed the gap to 8-7. Mount Olive countered by scoring seven consecutive points, including a pair of kills by Landis, to hold a 15-7 advantage. With UMO ahead 20-14 later in the set, Mount Olive recorded a 5-1 run to seal the set, 25-15.
The Trojans once again established an early 8-4 lead in the fourth set before the Bulldogs managed to tie the contest at 10-10. After exchanging the following 11 points, Mount Olive tallied four of the next five points to reach a 20-16 edge. Barton responded with consecutive points, but UMO scored five straight points to earn a 25-18 victory.
In the fourth set, the Trojans held a 6-2 lead behind two kills from senior
Callie Mullins and Stone before the Bulldogs rallied to knot the match at 9-9. Mount Olive mounted a 5-1 run to reclaim a 14-10 advantage, but Barton answered with another run to force a 15-15 tie. With the match tied at 19-19, UMO scored six consecutive points, capitalizing on four attacking errors, to secure the 25-19 win.
The Trojans return to Kornegay Arena on Friday, Oct. 11, to face King in Conference Carolinas action at 6 p.m.
