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March 29, 2024 10:02 am

UMO sweeps King in straight sets

MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive women’s volleyball team posted a 3-0 sweep over King in Conference Carolinas action Oct. 29 at Kornegay Arena by scores of 25-14, 25-12, 28-26.

With the win, the Trojans extended their winning streak to nine and improved to 21-8 overall behind a 14-2 mark in conference play. With one match remaining in the regular season, UMO can claim a share of the East Division title with a win on Tuesday at Barton. Meanwhile, the Tornado dropped to 14-14 this season with a 9-8 record in league action.

Senior Amara Eziakonwa led all players with 14 kills. The Tampa native paces the team in virtually every offensive category with 387 points and 280 kills this year. Fellow senior Ele’sia Williams also reached double-digit kills with 10. Sophomore Karoline Cox added eight kills while senior Alyssa Jackson totaled six. Senior Jenna Myer had 24 digs and fellow senior Madison Goodman had 20.

Sophomore Morgan Prots registered a game-high 11 digs, while teammate Next Pec posted nine. The Trojans collected nine service aces in the match, led by Goodman and freshman Caroline Sheaffer with three aces.

Mount Olive claimed the opening set after tallying 16 kills. The Trojans started on a 7-1 run behind a pair of kills from Eziakonwa before King trimmed the deficit by scoring five of the following seven points to cut the lead to 9-6. UMO countered with a 10-4 rally to stretch the advantage to 19-10 after two aces from Goodman and three kills by Williams. Both teams traded the next seven points before Mount Olive notched three-straight points to win the set 25-14.

In the second set, UMO limited the Tornado to just four kills. The Trojans established an 11-3 advantage following a pair of aces from Sheaffer, but King answered with a 5-1 run to close the gap to 12-8. Mount Olive used a 9-2 rally to take a comfortable 21-10 lead before scoring four of the next six points to take the second set 25-12.

The Trojans secured the sweep in the third after totaling 20 kills. The match was tied at 6 before UMO went on a 9-1 rally, including two kills from senior Starr Sergeant, to take a 15-7 advantage. King cut the deficit to 18-17 after a 10-3 run, but Mount Olive countered by scoring four of the following six points to lead 22-19. The Tornado reclaimed the lead 25-24 late in the third set, but the Trojans used a 4-1 rally to prevail, 28-26.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics