BRISTOL, Tenn. (Feb. 9) – Senior outside hitter
Justin Gregory led the offense with 12 kills, as the Trojans earned a 3-1 victory at King in Conference Carolinas play on Friday night.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball team claims its fifth consecutive victory to improve to 7-1 overall with a 1-0 mark in conference action. The Trojans snap a three-game skid against the Tornado and earn their first win in Bristol since 2021. Meanwhile, King, the reigning Conference Carolinas Tournament Champions, drops to 0-8 this season behind a 0-1 record in league play.
Gregory paced the team with 12 kills on a .231 clip with two assists, four blocks, and four digs over four sets played. Junior
Holden Maryott registered nine kills on a .615 hitting percentage with six blocks (two solos), while senior
Hayden Frear finished with eight kills, two assists, two aces, and four digs. Sophomore
Jackson Lahey guided the offense with 36 assists while adding two services aces, five blocks, and six digs.
Sophomore
Mert Asma and Lahey directed the defense with six digs, while sophomore
Kory Grant tallied five digs. At the net, Maryott and sophomore
Constantinos Iacovou led the team with six blocks.
In the opening set, the Tornado established an early 9-6 advantage after capitalizing on a trio of service errors. UMO countered with three answered points to tie the contest before the sides traded the next five points. The Trojans eventually grabbed a 14-12 advantage before scoring six of the following 10 points to build a 20-16 lead. Mount Olive maintained a three-point lead down the stretch before scoring back-to-back points to secure a 25-20 win.
King responded in the second set with 15 kills on a .375 clip to knot the contest at 1-1. The Tornado raced out to an 8-6 edge, but the Trojans scored four of the next six points to tie the match, 10-10. King mounted a 5-1 rally to reclaim the lead before UMO closed the gap to 17-16. The Tornado finished the second set with an 8-3 run to seal a 25-19 victory.
In the third, Mount Olive produced an early 8-5 advantage following kills from Gregory and Grant before King tied the contest three times at the midway point of the set. The Trojans scored four of the following five points to take a 17-14 lead, but the Tornado rallied to cut the deficit to 18-17. Mount Olive went on a 5-1 run late in the set before Iacovou delivered a kill to win, 25-20.
UMO secured the victory in the fourth set despite falling into an early 6-1 deficit. The Trojans rallied with an 8-3 run to tie the contest at 9-9 before the Tornado regained a 13-11 advantage. Mount Olive answered back to tie the match once again at 16-16 and eventually took a 21-18 lead after a kill by Gregory. UMO closed out the game by scoring four of the final six points to secure the victory, 25-20.
The Trojans return to the court tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 10, when they face Lees-McRae in Conference Carolinas action at noon.
