FAIRFAX, Va. (March 15) – In three tightly-contested sets, the Trojans battled in a 3-0 loss at nationally ranked No. 17 George Mason in a non-conference match on Friday night.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball team drops to 13-5 overall while facing a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time this season. The two sides met for just the sixth time with the Patriots holding a 5-1 mark in the series. Meanwhile, George Mason improves to 10-7 this season behind a 4-0 mark at home.
Senior
Hayden Frear finished with a team-high 12 kills while tallying one service ace and five digs in three sets played. Sophomore
Kory Grant produced nine kills on a .300 hitting percentage with three blocks and six digs. Fellow sophomore
Constantinos Iacovou registered six kills on a staggering .857 clip against the Patriots. Sophomore
Jackson Lahey directed the offense with 32 assists, two aces, one block, and six digs.
On the defensive side, sophomore
Mert Asma led the team with eight digs while Iacovou controlled the net with four blocks.
After alternating points a majority of the first set, the Patriots held a 15-13 advantage at the media timeout before UMO rallied by scoring four of the next five points to take a 17-16 lead. The sides continued to trade points before the Trojans reached set point on a kill by Grant. The Patriots responded with back-to-back points before eventually taking the first set 30-28.
Mount Olive established an early lead in the second set before holding an 11-10 edge following a kill by Frear. George Mason countered with an 8-3 rally to take an 18-14 advantage before building a 24-17 lead late in the set. The Trojans answered back with four straight points, including an ace by Frear, but the Patriots seal the set on the next possession with a kill, 25-21.
In the third set, the Trojans once again established an early advantage with kills from three different players before George Mason responded with five unanswered points to take a 9-7 edge. With the Patriots ahead 12-9, UMO countered with seven of the following nine points to hold a 16-14 lead. George Mason answered back with a rally to take a 24-20 advantage before Mount Olive scored consecutive points, 24-22. The Patriots secured the victory following a service error to win by a 25-22 margin.
The Trojans will return to the court tomorrow, Saturday, March 16, for a non-conference match at George Mason with the start time set for 5 p.m.
