BANNER ELK, N.C. (Feb. 10) – After totaling 44 kills on an impressive .402 hitting percentage, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball captured a 3-0 sweep at Lees-McRae on Saturday afternoon in Conference Carolinas action.
With the win, the Trojans stretch their winning streak to six straight and improve to 8-1 this season with a 2-0 mark in conference play. Mount Olive holds a 25-1 record against Lees-McRae, including a 12-0 mark on the road dating back to 2012. Meanwhile, the Bobcats fall to 1-8 overall behind a 0-2 record in league action.
Senior
Justin Gregory tied for a game-high with 11 kills on a .400 clip while adding three service aces and three blocks. Fellow senior
Hayden Frear also tallied 11 kills on a .364 hitting percentage with two aces, three blocks, and four digs in three sets played. Junior
Holden Maryott contributed seven kills on a .545 clip and totaled five blocks. Sophomore
Constantinos Iacovou also registered seven kills on a .700 hitting percentage and added six blocks. Fellow sophomore
Jackson Lahey directed the offense with 39 assists while recording three blocks, and four digs.
On the defensive side, Lahey, Frear, and sophomore
Mert Asma led the team with four digs. At the net, Iacovou paced the Trojans with six blocks while Iacovou finished with five.
In the first set, the Bobcats raced out to an early 7-1 advantage before UMO scored five of the following seven points to cut the deficit to 9-7. Mount Olive continued to rally before tying the contest at 12-12, but Lees-McRae regained the lead following a pair of kills and an attack error, 15-14. Mount Olive responded with four consecutive points to take an 18-15 lead before the sides exchanged points down the stretch. Iacovou sealed the opening set with a kill to clinch a 25-20 victory.
Lees-McRae once again established an early 8-5 lead before holding a 15-11 advantage at the midway point of the second set. The Trojans mounted a 5-1 rally with kills by three different players to tie the contest at 16-16 before the Bobcats tallied four of the next five points, 20-17. Lees-McRae reached set point at 24-22, but UMO scored four unanswered points, including an ace by Gregory to win by a 26-24 margin.
In the third set, the Trojan offense secured the 3-0 sweep after totaling 16 kills on a .625 hitting percentage. Lees-McRae held a 9-7 advantage to begin the set before the Trojans registered four unanswered points to take an 11-9 edge. After trading the next five points, Mount Olive mounted a 10-4 run to hold a 23-16 lead before the Bobcats countered with back-to-back points. The Trojans scored the next two points with a block at the net by Iacovou and Frear securing the win, 25-18.
Mount Olive is idle for the week before returning to action on Friday, Feb. 16, when it travels to face North Greenville in league play, starting at 7 p.m.
