FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. (April 5) – Senior
Hayden Frear produced a career-high 20 kills on a .300 clip, as the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball program claimed a 3-1 win at Emmanuel on Friday night in Conference Carolinas action.
With the win, the Trojans improve to 15-8 this season with an 8-4 mark in league play. Mount Olive completes the season sweep over Emmanuel and is tied for third place in the conference standings. Meanwhile, the Lions drop to 9-17 overall behind a 3-9 record in league action.
Frear finished with a game-high 20 kills on a .300 hitting percentage with three service aces, two blocks, and six digs. Sophomore
Kory Grant reached double-digit kills with 12 on a .370 clip with four aces and five digs over four sets played. Junior
Holden Maryott delivered nine kills on a .615 hitting percentage with three blocks and two digs, while senior
Justin Gregory totaled eight kills and five digs. Sophomore
Jackson Lahey directed the offense with 39 assists while adding two kills, two aces, and nine digs.
Sophomore
Mert Asma led the defensive effort with 12 digs and Lahey controlled the net with five blocks (two solo) against the Lions.
In the opening set, Emmanuel established an 8-2 advantage before the Trojans scored five of the following six points to cut the deficit to 9-7. The sides traded points down the stretch and Mount Olive eventually tied the contest at 17-17 after a solo block by Frear. The Lions regained a 21-18 lead, but UMO went on an 8-3 run to take the first set, 26-24.
Mount Olive quickly built a 6-1 lead in the second set behind a trio of kills by Frear before Emmanuel closed the gap to 9-6. UMO mounted a 7-1 run to take a 16-7 advantage, but the Lions responded with three unanswered points to trail by a 16-10 margin. The Trojans scored six consecutive points behind kills from three different players before sealing the set, 25-13.
The Trojans held a 10-9 lead in the third set before Emmanuel went on a 6-1 rally to build a 15-11 advantage. UMO closed the gap with three straight points before eventually tying the contest at 17-17. The Lions managed to take a 21-18 lead before securing the third set, 25-23.
In the fourth set, Mount Olive took an 8-4 advantage before Emmanuel tied the match at 8-8. With the set knotted at 12-12, the Trojans scored four of the next five points to hold a 16-13 edge and continued to maintain the lead later in the set. The Lions trimmed the deficit to 22-21 before exchanging the final five points, as UMO collected the win, 25-23.
Mount Olive returns to the court tomorrow, Saturday, April 6, to face Erskine on the road at 2 p.m.
