Mount Olive sweeps past Virginia Union, 3-0, in women’s volleyball action

MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive women’s volleyball team delivered 11 service aces and registered a .304 hitting percentage in a 3-0 sweep versus Virginia Union on Tuesday night in non-conference play at Kornegay Arena.

With the win, the Trojans improve to 4-4 this season while holding a 3-2 record at home. The two sides met for a consecutive year with UMO recording a 3-0 win in both meetings. Meanwhile, the Lady Panthers fall to 3-3 overall with a pair of losses against Conference Carolinas opponents.

Freshman Kaitlyn Landis led the team with eight kills on a .316 clip and added a pair of blocks over three sets played. Sophomore Sam Widelski tallied seven kills while freshman Ashlyn Haynie contributed six kills versus Virginia Union. Senior Tarah Guntow directed the offense with 16 assists and teammate Jenna Myer produced 13 assists on Tuesday.

Widelski guided the defensive effort with 10 digs while sophomore Caroline Sheaffer registered nine digs for Mount Olive. The Trojans tallied 11 service aces in the match, led by Widelski with four. Freshman Danielle Parker controlled the net with four blocks in the sweep.

In the first set, the Trojans totaled 14 kills on a .314 hitting percentage. Mount Olive established an early 4-0 advantage behind a pair of aces from sophomore Kate Carter before building the lead to 10-6. The Lady Panthers countered with three straight points and eventually tied the contest at 12-12. UMO answered back by scoring eight of the next 11 points to reclaim a 20-15 advantage, but Virginia Union responded with three unanswered, 20-18. The Trojans captured the first set 25-18 after tallying five consecutive points.

Both sides traded points over the first half of the set, as the Trojans held a 14-12 lead following a kill by senior Makenzie Holzer. The Lady Panthers countered with six straight points, including a trio of kills to take an 18-14 advantage. Mount Olive responded with an 8-1 rally to regain the lead 22-19 before claiming the second set by a 25-21 margin on a pair of kills from Carter.

In the third set, UMO quickly grabbed a 12-5 lead with Haynie contributing three kills. Virginia Union answered with back-to-back points before the Trojans scored 10 unanswered points to take a commanding 22-7 advantage after three straight aces by Myer. The Lady Panthers totaled six of the next eight points before Widelski completed the sweep with a kill 25-13.

Mount Olive returns to action tonight for a rematch versus Shaw on the road in Raleigh starting at 6.