MOUNT OLIVE (Mar. 2) – With three players contributing double-digit kills, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball program posted a 3-1 victory against King in Conference Carolinas play on Saturday afternoon at Kornegay Arena.
With the win, the Trojans extend their winning streak to four straight and improve to 12-3 overall behind a 6-2 mark in league play. Mount Olive completes the season sweep and sits in a tie for second place in the conference standings. Meanwhile, the Tornado fall to 2-14 this season with a 2-6 record in league action.
Senior
Hayden Frear produced a career-high 17 kills on a .353 hitting percentage with seven digs over four sets played. Fellow senior
Justin Gregory finished in double-figures with 11 kills on a .455 clip while adding eight digs and two blocks. Junior
Holden Maryott totaled 10 kills on a .600 hitting percentage with six blocks and two digs. Sophomore
Jackson Lahey guided the offense with 48 assists while contributing three services, four blocks, and seven digs.
Sophomore
Mert Asma led the defense with 12 digs and Gregory followed behind with eight digs against the Tornado. At the net, Maryott and sophomore
Constantinos Iacovou paced the team with six blocks.
In the first set, King built an early 8-4 advantage before UMO responded with a 5-1 rally behind a pair of kills by Frear to tie the contest at 9-9. The Tornado regained the lead by a 16-13 margin, but the Trojans answered by scoring eight of the next 10 points to take a 21-18 advantage. Following a kill by King, Mount Olive mounted a 4-1 run, including an ace by Lahey to win the set, 25-20.
Following little separation to begin the set, the Trojans tallied five of the next seven points to hold a 14-11 lead. UMO would stretch the advantage to 20-15 with two kills by Frear before a service error halted the run. Mount Olive went on a 5-1 run to take the second set by a score of 25-17.
In the third set, the sides tied 11 times with just two lead changes, as King extended the match with a 28-26 win. The Trojans held a 10-6 lead early in the third before eventually stretching the advantage to 18-12 behind three kills by Gregory. The Tornado countered with a 7-1 rally to tie the contest at 19-19 before the teams traded points down the stretch. King scored four of the final five points to secure the win, 28-26.
The Tornado established an 11-9 lead in the fourth set, but UMO responded by scoring five unanswered points to take a 15-11 advantage. King slowly trimmed away at the deficit before mounting a 4-1 rally to trail by a 24-23 margin. The Trojans captured the victory on the following possession on an attacking error by King, 25-23.
Mount Olive is idle for the week before traveling to face Lincoln Memorial for a pair contest, starting on Saturday, Mar. 9 at 3 p.m.
