HARROGATE, Tenn. (March 10) – In a five-set thriller on Sunday afternoon, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball team suffered a 3-2 loss on the road against Lincoln Memorial in non-conference play.
With the loss, the Trojans have their five-match winning streak snapped and drop to 13-4 this season behind a 5-4 record on the road. The teams split the season series, while UMO handed LMU its first home loss since 2021 on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Railsplitters improve to 12-5 overall with a 7-1 mark against Conference Carolinas opponents.
Senior
Hayden Frear led the team with 13 kills while adding eight digs and two blocks over five sets played. Fellow senior
Chance Gallardo finished with eight kills, three aces, two blocks, and two digs, while senior
Justin Gregory and junior
Holden Maryott each tallied seven kills against the Railsplitters. Sophomore
Jackson Lahey guided the offense with 38 assists, four service aces, three blocks, and six digs.
Fellow sophomore
Mert Asma led the defensive effort with 11 digs, while sophomore
Constantinos Iacovou and Gregory protected the net with seven and five blocks, respectively.
In the opening set, Mount Olive held a slight 6-5 advantage before LMU mounted a 12-3 rally with four kills and four service aces to take a 17-9 lead. The Trojans closed the gap by scoring four of the following five points to trail 18-13 before the teams exchanged the next six points. The Railsplitters tallied three consecutive points to reach set point, but UMO scored four unanswered to cut the deficit to 24-20. Lincoln Memorial secured the opening set with a kill on the next possession, 25-20.
LMU established an early 9-6 advantage in the second set before Mount Olive scored four straight points to take a slight 10-9 edge. The Railsplitters rallied to tie the contest at 16-16, but the Trojans registered seven of the next nine points to grab a 23-19 advantage. Lincoln Memorial delivered a kill on the next possession before UMO produced back-to-back points to win the set, 25-19.
The score was tied at 8-8 early in the third set before the Trojans went on a 6-1 rally with a pair of aces to take a 14-9 advantage. Later in the set, UMO held a 17-11 edge before the Railsplitters rallied with an 8-2 run to tie the contest at 19-19. Mount Olive regained a 22-19 lead, but Lincoln Memorial totaled six of the following eight points to reach set point, 25-24. The Trojans scored back-to-back points to take a 26-25 advantage, but LMU closed out the set with three unanswered points, 28-26.
In the fourth set, the Trojans raced out to an 8-2 lead before the Railsplitters slowly closed the gap to 12-9. Mount Olive managed to stretch the lead to 17-12 behind a pair of kills by Maryott, but a little run by Lincoln Memorial closed the gap to 24-22. Frear closed out the set with a kill to send the match to a fifth set.
LMU leaped ahead by a score of 9-3 in the fifth set before Mount Olive countered with back-to-back points. The Railsplitters scored six of the final eight points to earn the match victory, 15-9.
Mount Olive returns to action on Friday, March 15, when it faces George Mason in non-conference play in Fairfax, Virginia, at 7 p.m.
