Mount Olive falls to Purdue-Fort Wayne
FAIRFAX, Va. (Feb. 3) – In their opening match of the DC Challenge on Friday evening, the Trojans fell by a 3-0 margin against Purdue-Fort Wayne in non-conference action on the campus of George Mason University by scores of 25-21, 25-19, 27-25.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men’s volleyball team dropped to 4-2 this season. It marked the fourth meeting between the sides, with the Mastodons winning all four matches.
Senior Pedro Gonzalez delivered a season-high 12 kills, and junior Hayden Frear tallied eight kills with two aces. Sophomore Holden Maryott registered six kills, while junior Justin Gregory and sophomore Tate Sandvig totaled five kills. Freshman Jackson Lahey led the offensive effort with 32 assists and added four digs.
Senior Trevor Treser directed the defensive effort with 13 digs, while Frear produced five digs. At the net, Gonzalez recorded a season-high five blocks, with Frear and Lahey each tallying three blocks.
Both sides posted double-digit kills in the opening set. Mount Olive established an early 7-3 advantage following a kill from Frear before the Mastodons scored six of the following nine points to close the gap to 10-9. The Trojans stretched the lead to 16-13 after kills from three different players. Purdue-Fort Wayne countered with six consecutive points to take a 19-16 advantage, but UMO responded with a 3-1 rally to trim the deficit to 20-19. The Mastodons claimed the first set behind a 5-2 run to win, 25-21.
The second set featured nine ties and two lead changes. After little separation in the early part of the set, Purdue-Fort Wayne scored five of the following six points to develop a 14-10 advantage. The Trojans rallied with four straight points, including a trio of kills, to tie the contest at 14. The Mastodons found an offensive rhythm with a 10-4 run to break open a 24-18 lead before closing out the set with a kill, 25-19.
Purdue-Fort Wayne completed the sweep by a score of 27-25 after a competitive third set. Mount Olive took an early 5-0 advantage after capitalizing on multiple errors. The Mastodons answered by totaling six of the following nine points to trail by an 8-6 margin. After exchanging points midway through the set, Purdue-Fort Wayne mounted a 6-2 run to tie the match at 16. The Mastodons eventually took a 24-22 advantage after three straight points, but UMO battled off match point with a 3-0 rally. Purdue-Fort Wayne responded by scoring three unanswered to collect the sweep, 27-25.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
