MOUNT OLIVE (Nov. 6) – After overcoming a 21-12 deficit in the third set, the Trojans completed a 3-0 sweep over Francis Marion on Wednesday night to capture the Conference Carolinas East Division Championship at Kornegay Arena.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team improves to 18-7 overall behind a 14-2 record in league action. The Trojans accomplished a perfect 8-0 mark in the divisional play and won 13 of their last 14 matches. Meanwhile, Francis Marion has its 12-match winning streak snapped and falls to 14-12 this season with a 12-4 record in conference play.
Senior
Ashlyn Stone produced a game-high 14 kills on a .414 hitting percentage while tallying eight digs. Fellow senior
Callie Mullins reached double-digit kills with 10 and senior
Kate Carter finished with nine kills on a .571 clip. Freshman
Olivia Melvin registered eight kills over three sets played against the Patriots. Sophomore
Lyndsay Reid directed the offense with 28 assists, five service aces, and seven digs. Additionally, junior
Breanna Tanton finished with 10 assists, two aces, and nine digs.
Junior
Caroline Sheaffer led the defensive effort with 21 digs, five assists, and two aces. At the net, sophomore
Danielle Parker matched a career-high with four blocks.
Mount Olive established a quick 9-0 advantage in the opening set behind four service aces from Reid before FMU countered by scoring five of the next seven points, 11-5. The Trojans featured a balanced offensive attack to stretch the lead to 15-8 and mounted a 7-3 run to hold a 22-11 edge. The Patriots closed the gap to 23-15 before a kill from Parker and an ace by Tanton sealed the set, 25-15.
In the second, UMO built an 11-6 lead before the sides traded the next 12 points in a highly competitive set. With Mount Olive ahead 19-15, Francis Marion went on a 7-2 rally to tie the contest at 21-21. The Trojans regrouped and scored four of the final five points, including a pair of kills from Stone to win by a 25-22 margin.
Following long runs from both squads to begin the third set, Mount Olive held a slight 10-9 lead following an attacking error. FMU countered with a 12-2 run to have a significant 21-12, but Mount Olive responded with six straight points, 21-18. After a kill by the Patriots, UMO scored eight of the final 10 points with senior
Breanna Reisinger delivering the game-winning kill, 26-24.
Mount Olive will hit the road for the final week of the regular season and face Converse on Friday, Nov. 8 in league play at 6 p.m.
