TIGERVILLE, S.C. (Feb. 16) – Despite a .429 hitting percentage in the first set, the University of Mount Olive's men's volleyball team lost by a 3-1 margin on Friday night against NGU in conference play.

With the loss, the Trojans fall 8-2 overall and 2-1 in league play. This loss marks only the second defeat of the year after dropping a contest against Queens in January. Meanwhile, the Crusaders improve to 4-3 overall with a 3-0 mark in conference play after being chosen as the favorite in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll. 

Senior Hayden Frear tied a team-high with 11 kills on an impressive .429 hitting percentage while also tallying two assists and a trio of digs. Senior Justin Gregory also collected 11 kills on a .269 clip adding three blocks, a service ace, and five digs. Teammate sophomore Kory Grant closed the night with 11 kills on a .360 hitting percentage while producing two assists, two digs, and a service ace. Sophomore Jackson Lahey led the offense with 33 assists, eight blocks, and seven digs on Friday night. 

On the defensive side, Lahey led the Trojans with seven digs while Gregory also tallied five against the Crusaders. 

In the first set, UMO gained a 4-1 lead following kills by Gregory and Grant while also capitalizing on attacking errors by North Greenville. Both teams went back and forth as they tallied points one after the other. The Trojans then extended the lead 21-16 near the end of the set. With a block at the net and a kill from Gregory, the Trojans sealed the first-set victory, 25-21.

North Greenville started with a 4-1 advantage at the start of the second set. UMO fell behind 9-5 before a kill by sophomore Constantinos Iacovou and blocks by Lahey and Iacovou brought the Trojans within two, 10-8. The teams put fans on the edge of their seats as points were exchanged between both sides. With a kill from Gregory, the match was tied 22-22. NGU then closed the second set with a kill to secure the 26-24 victory. 

In the third set, NGU responded with 17 kills swinging on a .556 hitting percentage to take the 2-1 lead. With only two errors by the Crusaders, North Greenville took the set with a 25-18 victory. 

In the final set, UMO fell behind an 8-1 deficit after a 6-0 run by the Crusaders. In response, the Trojans closed the gap only falling behind three points, 9-6. NGU eventually took a 24-19 lead. The Trojans rallied with four straight points but fell just short losing 25-23 in the fourth set. 

Mount Olive returns to play on Saturday, Feb. 17 as it takes on Belmont Abbey at 2:00 p.m.