Saturday afternoon was filled with Conference Carolinas action along with a sprinkling of EIVA play. No match stood above a meeting between King and Barton, as the top two in the league this year and last year squared off. A few other teams also earned important wins to snap losing streaks as they look to build on their day’s success.
Mount Olive Def. Lees-McRae 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-13)
- Mount Olive 9-5 (6-2 Conf. Carolinas); Lees-McRae 2-11 (0-6 Conf. Carolinas)
- Box Score
- Mount Olive Press Release
- Lees-McRae Press Release
Mount Olive bounced back strongly from their tough five set loss to King by making quick work of Lees-McRae. Just as you would expect in a match that one team outscored the other 75-43, UMO out-hit LMC .433 to -.060. The dynamic performance was led by Jerell Rogers, who was the only player with double-digit kills at 10 while hitting .714 for the match.
Barton Def. (RV) King 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-20)
- Barton 10-6 (8-0 Conf. Carolinas); (RV) King 10-3 (7-1 Conf. Carolinas)
- Box Score
- King Press Release
In a meeting of the top two teams both this year and last year in the Conference Carolinas, Barton defended its crown by sweeping King. The Tornado appeared primed to overtake Barton this year in a tight league race, but the Bulldogs .319 hitting day compared to .076 from King was enough to make quick work of their challenger. Angelos Mandilaris should be in line for some weekly awards after notching 18 kills on a .389 hitting percentage to go with four digs.
Limestone Def. Coker 3-2 (25-8, 23-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-11)
- Limestone 5-12 (2-6 Conf. Carolinas); Coker 6-6
- Box Score
- Limestone Press Release
- Coker Press Release
Limestone’s Geraldo Rivera was magnificent in a victory, totaling 22 kills on a .341 mark and 10 digs. That was just enough to squeeze by Joao Victor Santos (26 kills, .259, 16 digs, four blocks) and Coker, as the others proved to bring more balance to Limestone. Beyond more offensive balance, Limestone’s defense was more impactful and doubled up the block totals in slipping by Coker in five sets.
Princeton Def. Sacred Heart 3-1 (25-14, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18)
- Princeton 2-11 (1-4 EIVA); Sacred Heart 2-8 (0-5 EIVA)
- Box Score
- Princeton Press Release
- Sacred Heart Press Release
The 2018 season hasn’t lived gone at all how Princeton thought it would to start after they began the with poll recognition. They finally found some footing though in earning their first EIVA victory by connecting to a .398 offensive rhythm. It didn’t hurt to out-block Sacred Heart 17-5 either, which allowed for a gap in hitting percentages. Parker Dixon was at the forefront of the match, as he logged 20 kills on a .444 mark to go with five blocks and four digs.
Harvard Def. NJIT 3-2 (29-27, 19-25, 20-25, 25-13, 15-8)
- Harvard 3-8 (3-2 EIVA); NJIT 3-9 (1-2 EIVA)
- Box Score
- Harvard Press Release
- NJIT Press Release
Harvard may not have had the best non-league stretch, but they’ve surprised some with a 3-2 start now in the EIVA. Most of the numbers were relatively even – as one would expect in five sets – but NJIT posted more aces which was countered with a more efficient Harvard offense (.389 to to .248). Brad Gretsch (19 kills, .500, 10 digs and four blocks) was the epitome of the attack, as the Crimson remain in the EIVA discussion.
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