MOUNT OLIVE (April 5) – For the first time in program history, the No. 20 ranked Trojans hosted a top-20 nationally ranked matchup, and despite taking the opening set, the home side fell by a 3-1 margin (25-17, 22-25, 20-25, 23-25) to No. 17 Lincoln Memorial in non-conference play.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball program suffers its first loss since early January and sees the end of a 16-match winning streak. UMO stands at 18-3 overall and will close out the regular season next Saturday, April 12, versus Barton. Meanwhile, Lincoln Memorial earns an 11th straight win to improve to 18-1 this season.
Junior
Jackson Lahey became the all-time assists leader at Mount Olive with 2,635 and counting after a 41-assist performance against the Railsplitters. He has tallied over 700 assists in all three seasons with the program while averaging 10.21 assists per set in his career. Lahey eclipsed the previous mark of 2,601 held by Jeff Yasalonis.
Junior
Kory Grant achieved his third 17+ kill game of the season as he collected 17 kills on a .279 clip while adding two service aces and nine digs. Senior
Tate Sandvig finished with 10 kills and four digs in his return to the lineup. Fellow senior
Holden Maryott chipped in for eight kills on a .417 hitting percentage as well as accumulating five blocks and two digs. Freshman libero
Luca Colombo cleaned up the back-line defensively with 14 digs and an assist.
In the first set, the Trojans recorded 11 kills on an impressive .474 hitting percentage. UMO jumped in front 9-4 in the opening set behind back-to-back solo blocks from Maryott. The sides traded the next 11 points before Mount Olive scored six of the next nine points to build a 22-13 lead. LMU battled back, but a block at the net sealed the set for the Trojans, 25-17.
UMO took momentum in the second set with a 9-5 advantage early before a 5-1 rally by the Railsplitters tied the contest at 10-10. The Trojans reclaimed the lead and held a late 18-16 edge following two kills by Sandvig. Lincoln Memorial responded with a 9-4 run to close out the set with a 25-22 win.
After the sides battled back and forth at the beginning of the set, the Railsplitters mounted a 7-2 run to take a 16-10 lead. Mount Olive closed the gap in the late portion of the set at 22-18, but LMU scored three of the final four points to win by a 25-20 margin.
Needing a win in the fourth set to force a fifth, the Trojans showed resilience. Despite Lincoln Memorial continuing its consistent offensive play, UMO kept up alongside for the majority of the way. A big four-point run by Mount Olive would bring it to a three-point deficit. The Trojans trimmed the deficit to 24-23, but a kill by LMU completed the victory, 25-23.
The Trojans will close out their 2025 regular season next week as they welcome in rival Barton on April 12 at 3 p.m.
