BRISTOL, T.N (April 25)- After nearly two weeks off, the UMO men's volleyball program, which claimed the first-ever undefeated Conference Carolinas regular season championship, finally got a chance to compete in the postseason. The automatic berth in the final four saw them go up against a resilient No. 4 seed in North Greenville, but the No. 20-ranked Trojans made quick work of the Trailblazers with a 3-0 win (25-16, 25-20, 25-23).
 
With the win, the Trojans have booked their ticket for a chance at the Conference Carolinas title this upcoming Sunday, where they will take on Belmont Abbey. The Trojans improve to 20-3 in 2025 and 15-0 against conference opponents with the semifinal victory. North Greenville sees their season come to a close after the defeat and will end their year with a 12-13 overall record.
 
A brilliant effort on Friday evening saw the Trojan stars shine bright, as leading the charge was junior Kory Grant, who finished with 15 kills on a .387 clip while handing out three assists, three blocks, and nine digs. Senior Tate Sandvig had an excellent start to his postseason, posting a 12-kill effort as he tormented the front-line of NGU with a .360 hitting percentage. Fellow senior and star middle-blocker Holden Maryott was a force to be reckoned with an insane .875 clip, which saw him accumulate seven kills while adding four blocks with four digs. Junior Constantinos Iacovou was also on full display with an impressive seven kill and two blocks. Junior setter Jackson Lahey was his usual self as he helped his Trojan offense by dishing out 35 assists in only three sets of work, he added two kills and three blocks for good measure as well.
 
The freshman and defensive player of the year in libero phenom Luca Colombo kept the back-line in check for UMO as he finished with six digs and four assists.
 
Set 1 would be the largest margin of victory in the three-setter on Friday evening as Mount Olive took it 25-16. NGU started hot in the opening set, as they flew ahead 7-3 out of the gates, but the Trojans, who have been so poised all season long, would take multiple big runs to outscore the Trailblazers 22-9 the rest of the set.
 
The second set was a little more competitive between the two sides it found itself tied up at 8-8 then once more at 15-15. It would take a huge kill by Lahey, the team's setter, to start a three-point run by UMO, which was then bested by another Trojan run a few points later as Iacovou collected two of his seven masterful kills. Head coach Yigit Erkek's group would end up running away with it 25-20.
 
The third set was the final chance for NGU to keep its season alive. They battled, scratched, and clawed every inch of the way, but UMO showed why they are a top 20 team in the country as they got back to their feet after every North Greenville punch. UMO led for pretty much the entire set but could not create separation from their opponent. A late three-point run by a trio of Trojan errors brought the game to within one as UMO led 23-22. A kill by Grant would end up being the decider as the Trojans took the final set 25-23.
 
Mount Olive will look to complete their perfect season and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament while collecting some hardware as they take on Belmont Abbey on Saturday, April 26, at 3:00 p.m.
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