UMO records sweep at Lees-McRae
BANNER ELK, N.C. (March 31) – After registering 48 kills, the Trojans secured a 3-0 sweep at Lees-McRae on March 31 in Conference Carolinas play by scores of 25-20,25-23, 29-27.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive men’s volleyball team improved to 9-13 this season with a 5-7 mark in league action. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae fell to 9-13 overall with a 5-6 record in league play.
Sophomore Tate Sandvig totaled a game-high 14 kills with four blocks and four digs. Senior Pedro Gonzalez also reached double-figures with 11 kills, while junior Hayden Frear and freshman Constantinos Iacovou posted eight and seven kills, respectively. Freshman Jackson Lahey guided the offense with 40 assists with two aces and two digs. Senior Trevor Treser led the defensive effort with six digs, while Gonzalez controlled the net with eight blocks.
In the first set, the Trojans were able to establish a 10-6 advantage following a kill by Iacovou. The Bobcats received a point on an attacking error before UMO scored four unanswered points to build a 14-7 lead. Lees-McRae managed to cut the deficit to 17-15, but Mount Olive tallied three of the following four points to stretch the lead to 20-16. The Bobcats once again closed the gap to 21-19 before the Trojans mounted a 4-1 run to win the set, 25-20.
Mount Olive scored five straight to begin the second set before holding a 15-11 advantage midway through the set. Lees-McRae managed to trim the deficit by scoring four of the next five to trail by a 16-15 margin. The Bobcats eventually took the lead at 20-18 after producing four consecutive points. UMO successfully flipped the script and recorded a 7-3 rally with a trio of kills by Sandvig to take the set, 25-22.
In the third, the Trojans quickly grabbed an 8-1 lead as Gonzalez contributed three blocks at the net. Lees-McRae countered with a 9-3 rally to cut the deficit to 11-10 before the sides exchanged points late into the set. The Bobcats took the lead after registering three straight points to hold a 19-18 edge before UMO battled off match points three times. With the match tied at 27-27, the Trojans delivered a kill by Frear and a service ace from Lahey to seal the win, 29-27.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
