Mount Olive falls to Charleston in straight sets

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In a rematch from the previous night, the University of Mount Olive men’s volleyball team suffered a 3-0 sweep at No. 14 ranked Charleston on March 11 in non-conference play by scores of 25-16, 25-18, 25-19.

With the loss, the Trojans fell to 5-12 this season and have played three ranked teams. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles improved to 17-1 overall and remained undefeated at home with an 11-0 mark.

Senior Pedro Gonzalez led the team with seven kills, while sophomore Tate Sandvig totaled six kills. Freshman Jackson Lahey guided the offense with 25 assists and added two blocks. Senior libero Trevor Treser paced the defensive effort with 14 digs, while Sandvig finished with six.

In the first set, the Golden Eagles leaped out a 9-5 advantage before UMO scored four of the following six points to cut the deficit to 11-9. Charleston responded with an 8-3 run to stretch the advantage to 19-12 before eventually taking a 24-15 lead. The Golden Eagles sealed the opening set with a kill, 25-16.

Charleston quickly established an 8-3 lead in the second set before the Trojans countered with three straight points, including a kill from junior Hayden Frear, to cut the lead to 8-6. Both sides traded the following eight points before the Golden Eagles built the lead to 16-11. Mount Olive countered with back-to-back points, but Charleston answered by scoring seven of the next 10 points to take a commanding 23-16 advantage. Following a kill by Gonzalez, the Golden Eagles tallied two of the final three points to win the set, 25-18.

In the third set, the Trojans built a 12-8 lead following kills from three players before Charleston closed the gap with three consecutive points. After a kill from junior Tom Klotzbuecher, the Golden Eagles scored six of the next eight points to grab the lead, 17-15. Late in the set, Charleston scored five-straight points to extend the lead to 23-17 before sealing the sweep 25-19.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics