WILSON, N.C. (March 18) – Junior
Kory Grant matched a career-high with 20 kills on Tuesday night, as the Trojans continued their winning streak with a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-18, 25-16) over Barton in Conference Carolinas play.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball program stretches its streak to 12 in a row to improve to 14-2 this season with a 9-0 record in conference action. Additionally, the Trojans have won 34 straight sets dating back to Jan. 31. Meanwhile, Barton falls to 11-10 overall behind a 6-3 mark in league play.
Grant finished with 20 kills on a .516 hitting percentage while adding four service aces and four digs. Senior
Tate Sandvig contributed seven kills and seven digs over three sets played. Junior
Constantinos Iacovou registered seven kills on a .462 clip with two aces and two blocks, while senior
Holden Maryott added six kills, two service aces, and two blocks. Junior
Jackson Lahey directed the offense with 39 assists, three aces, two kills, three blocks, and three digs against the Bulldogs.
Freshman
Luca Colombo led the defensive effort with 12 digs and three assists on Tuesday night.
In the first set, Barton built a 5-2 advantage before trading the following seven points. The Bulldogs maintained a 10-6 lead, but the Trojans scored eight unanswered points with a pair of kills by Iacovou to take a 14-10 edge. UMO continued to hold the lead before Barton closed the gap to 22-20 late in the set. Mount Olive registered three of the final four points to secure the win, 25-21.
The Trojans climbed ahead by a 10-4 margin in the second set before Barton cut the deficit to 13-10. UMO recorded six of the following eight points with three service aces to hold a 19-12 edge. The Bulldogs closed the gap to 22-18 before Mount Olive scored three consecutive points to take the set, 25-18.
In the third set, UMO established an 11-4 advantage, but Barton trimmed the deficit to 12-8 as it attempted to avoid the sweep. Mount Olive mounted a 9-2 with a trio of kills from Grant to grab a significant 21-10 lead. The Bulldogs battled back to close the gap to 24-16 before Grant registered kills to complete the sweep, 25-16.
The Trojans return to the court on Friday, March 21, when they travel to face Lees-McRae in league play at 7 p.m.
