BANNER ELK, N.C. (March 21) – The University of Mount Olive men's volleyball team extended its streak to 13 straight victories on Friday night following a 3-1 win (25-19, 25-14, 23-25, 25-23) at Lees-McRae in Conference Carolinas action.
With the win, the Trojans improve to 15-2 overall behind a perfect 10-0 mark in league play. Mount Olive sweeps the season series and holds a 28-1 record over Lees-McRae dating back to 2012. Additionally, UMO had its straight sets streak end at 36 after dropping the third set. Meanwhile, the Bobcats fall to 3-18 this season with a 2-9 record in conference action.
Junior
Kory Grant led the Trojan offense with 10 kills on a .300 hitting percentage with four digs and one block over four sets played. Senior
Tate Sandvig contributed eight kills and seven digs, while fellow senior
Blake Hosic registered seven kills, three blocks, and three digs on Friday. Senior
Holden Maryott finished with seven kills on a .357 clip while adding eight blocks and three digs. Junior
Jackson Lahey guided the offense with 39 assists, two kills, six blocks, and three digs.
Freshman
Luca Colombo led the defensive effort with eight digs while tallying an assist against the Bobcats.
Mount Olive jumped ahead by a 9-4 margin in the opening set as four different players recorded a kill. Lees-McRae managed to close the deficit to 17-15, but the Trojans scored five of the next eight points to hold a 22-17 advantage. UMO finished with a 4-2 run as Maryott delivered a kill to claim the set, 25-19.
In the second set, Mount Olive established an 8-2 lead with a pair of kills by Grant before the Bobcats trimmed the deficit to 9-4. The Trojans recorded four unanswered points to build a 13-4 advantage, but Lees-McRae remained in the set after tallying four of the next six points, 15-8. With UMO in front by a 19-9 margin, the Trojans capitalized on multiple errors by the Bobcats to seal the 25-14 win.
Mount Olive took a 10-8 lead in the early portion of the third before Lees-McRae battled back to tie the contest at 11-11. The Bobcats managed to pull ahead 16-13 after registering four unanswered points and eventually held a slight 19-17 edge late in the set. UMO mounted a 6-2 run to hold a 23-21 advantage, but Lees-McRae tallied four straight points to steal the set, 25-23.
The Bobcats held a 10-8 advantage to begin the fourth set, but UMO responded to knot the contest at 11-11. Lees-McRae regained a slight 14-13 edge before Mount Olive scored six unanswered points to pull ahead by a 19-14 margin. The Bobcats battled back to tie the set at 22-22, but the Trojans scored three of the final four points to win the set, 25-23.
Mount Olive continues Conference Carolinas action tomorrow, Saturday, March 22, when it travels to face King at 2 p.m.
