MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 7) – Behind 44 kills on an impressive .393 hitting percentage on Friday night, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball program cruised to a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-17, 25-17) over King in the Conference Carolinas opener at Kornegay Arena.
With the win, the Trojans collect a third straight victory to improve to 5-2 overall with a 1-0 mark in conference play. Mount Olive has won the last three meetings in the series and captured its first sweep over King since 2021. Meanwhile, the Tornado drop to 0-7 this season behind a 0-1 record in league action.
Senior
Tate Sandvig finished with 14 kills on a staggering .684 clip with two service aces and two blocks in three sets. Junior
Kory Grant reached double-figures with 12 kills on a .360 hitting percentage while adding five service aces and nine digs. Senior
Holden Maryott controlled the middle of the net with six kills, two aces, and six blocks. Junior
Jackson Lahey guided the offense with 33 assists, four kills, five blocks, and five digs.
Grant led the defensive effort with nine digs while freshman
Luca Colombo finished with seven digs and three assists.
In the opening set, the Tornado built an 8-6 advantage before the Trojans countered with four consecutive points, including a pair of kills by Sandvig. King scored six of the following nine points to regain the lead by a 14-13 margin, but UMO mounted a 7-2 run to go ahead, 20-16. Mount Olive pulled away in the closing points to claim a 25-20 win.
The Tornado once again established an early lead at 7-6 in the second set before UMO tallied four of the next six points to hold a 10-9 edge. King answered with four unanswered points before maintaining their advantage at 14-12. The Trojans responded with an impressive 11-2 run with five different players recording a kill, to lead 23-16. After a kill by the Tornado, Mount Olive recorded consecutive points to take the set, 25-17.
In the third set, the Trojans jumped out to an 11-4 lead following three straight aces from Grant. King managed to close the gap to 16-12, but Mount Olive countered with a 7-2 run to extend the lead to 23-13. Despite a late rally by the Tornado, UMO completed the sweep with a 25-17 victory.
Mount Olive continues Conference Carolinas play tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 8, against Lees-McRae, starting at 2 p.m.
