UMO handles Fort Valley State
FORT VALLEY, Ga. – The University of Mount Olive men’s volleyball team featured a balanced offensive attack with 41 kills in a 3-0 sweep over Fort Valley State on Jan. 28 in non-conference play by scores of 25-18, 25-20, 25-23.
With the win, the Trojans improved to 4-1 overall and collected a pair of wins on their road trip to Georgia. Meanwhile, the Wildcats dropped to 0-4 this season.
Redshirt junior Hayden Frear paced the team with 10 kills with two blocks and three digs. Senior Pedro Gonzalez finished with eight kills with a pair of blocks, while junior Justin Gregory also totaled eight kills, two blocks and two digs. Sophomore Tate Sandvig finished with eight kills and nine digs. Freshman Jackson Lahey directed the offense with 34 assists, which marks his third match with at least 30 assists this season.
Sophomore Blake Hosic and Sandvig led the defensive effort with nine digs each while Lahey produced seven. The Trojans registered eight service aces, led by Lahey with three, while sophomore Holden Maryott controlled the net with four blocks.
Mount Olive claimed the opening set by a 25-18 margin behind 10 kills. The Trojans built an early 8-3 advantage in the first following a pair of aces from Lahey before both sides traded points through the midway point of the set. UMO totaled three straight points to open up a 17-10 lead before Fort Valley State closed the gap by scoring four of the following six points to trail 19-14. Mount Olive eventually took a 24-18 advantage before a service error secured the first set, 25-18.
Mount Olive managed a 9-7 lead in the second set following three unanswered points after a pair of aces from Frear. The Wildcats tied the contest at 11, but UMO countered with four straight points to go ahead 15-11. Fort Valley State tallied five of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 18-16 before the Trojans took a 22-18 advantage. The Wildcats closed the lead to 23-20 before UMO claimed the set with back-to-back points.
Mount Olive recorded the sweep in the third after the set featured 10 ties and five lead changes. Fort Valley State quickly established a 9-6 lead before scoring five of the following eight points to extend the advantage to 14-9. The Trojans responded with an 8-2 run, including a combined six kills from Frear and Gonzalez, to take a 17-16 advantage. The Wildcats battled back to claim a 20-19 lead. UMO eventually rallied from being down two points and registered four straight with a kill from Gonzalez to win the match.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
