Brkovic Pounds Career-High 30 In Five-Set Win Over Mount Olive

MATCH STATS

• Barton def. Mount Olive, 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18, 15-13)
• Barton improves to 8-6, 6-0 Conference Carolinas; Mount Olive falls to 8-4, 5-1 Conference Carolinas
• Mount Olive, North Carolina
• Attendance: 316
• Box score

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – In a battle of undefeated Conference Carolina teams, Barton used a comeback and a few career-highs to upend Mount Olive on the road, 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18, 15-13). The tremendous back-and-forth affair featured five players in double-digit kills, 5 players in double-digit digs and three career-highs.

Barton was led by Aleksa Brkovic, who pounded a career-high 30 kills on .404 hitting. His mark was the most by a single player this season in any division. Brkovic also added 10 digs to complete the double-double. Vasilis Mandilaris added 15 kills for the Bulldogs to go with his 12 digs. His brother, Angelos Mandilaris, finished with 11 kills and 16 digs. Setter Oscar Fiorentino dished out a career-high 62 assists in the win. Libero Wilfredo Rivera also had a career night; his 20 digs is his highest mark ever. Justice Lord led the Bulldogs at the net with 6 blocks.

Mount Olive was led by Brad Monaghan with 17 kills, hitting .300 for the Trojans. Jerell Rogers finished with 13 kills, leading all attackers by hitting .545 on the night. Setter Jeff Yasalonis distributed 41 assists. Libero Josh Donahue scooped a season-high 16 digs in the loss. Leading the defense at the net was Eric Visgitis with a match-high 7 blocks.

The win for Barton does not break the tie for the lead in Conference Carolinas. King is also undefeated, and they travel to Barton on Saturday, February 24 to decide the early lead in the conference standings. UMO, however, will have to wait a full 6 weeks before getting a revenge match against Barton; they play again at Barton on April 3. Things don’t get much easier for UMO in the short term; they host Conference Carolinas leader King on Friday, February 23.

PRESS RELEASES

Courtesy of Barton Athletics

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Five sets would be needed to decide a winner between Barton College and the University of Mount Olive on Wednesday inside Kornegay Arena. The Bulldogs would rally from a 2-1 deficit in the match to hand the Trojans a 3-2 defeat in Conference Carolinas men’s volleyball action.

Barton (8-6, 6-0) rebounded from a pair of tough sets in the middle of the match to record 27 kills in the fourth and fifth sets against the Trojans. The Bulldogs sit tied atop the league standings with King University, who swept Limestone College on Tuesday. Mount Olive (8-4, 5-1) saw its seven-match winning streak come to an end as the Trojans dropped their first league match of the season.

Junior Aleksa Brkovic set a career-high with 30 kills on the night for the Bulldogs and tallied 10 digs to go along with two aces. Junior Vasilis Mandilaris notched 15 kills while adding 12 digs for Barton. Sophomore Angelos Mandilaris added 11 kills, 16 digs, and one solo block, while junior Justice Lord recorded two solo blocks and four block assists for BC. Redshirt sophomore Oscar Fiorentino dished out a career-high 62 assists, while freshman Wilfredo Rivera had a career-best 20 digs.

Brad Monaghan paced the Trojans with 17 kills while adding seven digs. Jerell Rogers added 13 kills, three digs, and three solo blocks for Mount Olive, while Bret Rutledge recorded nine kills and eight digs. Jeff Yasalonis tallied 41 assists in the match and Josh Donahue added a team-high 16 digs.

Barton controlled the tempo for a majority of the opening set as the Bulldogs tallied 16 kills off 34 total attempts. Leading 10-8, the Bulldogs used a 4-0 rally to put some breathing room between the two sides. Trailing by seven points in the set, the Trojans trimmed the gap to 16-12 and forced BC to call a timeout. The Bulldogs would take a 20-14 lead following an attack error by Rutledge. A kill from Brkovic put the Bulldogs within a point of taking the set until the Trojans would gain momentum and close the gap to 24-20. Junior Nick Leary would put an end to things as his kill put BC ahead 1-0 in the match.

Set two saw the Bulldogs take a 12-9 lead following an ace from Brkovic to cap a 3-0 run. The Trojans countered with a 2-0 spurt to trim the deficit to 12-11. Mount Olive gained a 14-13 edge after a kill by Kian Hollevoet. A 2-0 rally by the Trojans led to BC taking a timeout after falling behind by two on the scoreboard. Consecutive kills from Brkovic would later knot the score at 17-17 but an ensuing 3-0 run by the Trojans gave them a 20-17 advantage. Leading 20-18, the Trojans rattled-off five consecutive points to take the set 25-18 and even the match 1-1.

Mount Olive had all the momentum to start the third set, tallying the opening five points to force the Bulldogs to use an early timeout. The Trojans eventually upped their lead to 10-2 following a kill from Hollevoet. Trailing 12-4, Barton shaved the deficit to 12-7 after an attack error by Hollevoet. Barton rallied late in the set to pull within one-point of the Trojans as Brkovic made it 22-21 Mount Olive. A service error coupled with an ace by the Bulldogs trimmed the UMO lead to 24-23. Monaghan delivered the kill to put the Trojans up 2-1 in the match and secure a 25-23 victory in the set.

Barton gained a three-point advantage in the third set on the heels of a 4-0 run as the Bulldogs erased a 5-4 deficit. Leading 11-8, BC saw its lead evaporate as the Trojans tallied three straight points to knot the set 11-11. Lord and V. Mandilaris keyed a 3-0 run to give the Bulldogs the lead back at 14-11. Leading 20-17 in the set, BC scored five of the next six points to send the match to a decisive fifth set. The Bulldogs tallied 19 kills in the set on 38 total attacks as Barton hit .421 as a team.

The Bulldogs started the fifth set on a mission as BC raced out to a 4-1 lead following back-to-back attack errors by Mount Olive. BC would later take a 7-5 advantage before the Trojans knotted the score. With the set tied 11-11, the Trojans gained their first lead as Monaghan delivered a kill to make it 12-11. BC used a timeout and tied the score off a kill by A. Mandilaris. Mount Olive would take one more lead in the set (13-12) before BC took the set (15-13) and the match with a 3-2 victory.

Mount Olive recorded 10 kills to Barton’s nine in the fifth set, but five errors would prove costly for the Trojans as consecutive attack errors paved the way for the Bulldogs. The two sides combined for 119 kills, 300 total attacks, 118 digs, and 114 assists in the match.

Courtesy of Mount Olive Athletics

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. — The University of Mount Olive men’s volleyball team fell in five sets to rival Barton College in a midweek Conference Carolinas matchup at Kornegay Arena in Mount Olive, N.C.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Barton 3, Mount Olive 2 (25-20, 18-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-13)
Records: Mount Olive (8-4, 5-1), Barton (8-6, 6-0)
Location: Kornegay Arena | Mount Olive, N.C.

How It Happened
Play-by-Play

FIRST SET

• Barton opened the first set holding a slim 8-5 advantage through the first serves of the match.
• UMO trailed by one, 8-7, following a Bulldog error and a kill by Jeff Yasalonis on a setters dump, before Barton went on an 8-1 run to take the 16-9 lead midway through the first set.
• Three consecutive kills by freshman Eric Visgitis gave the Trojans some momentum as they trailed by four, 16-12, forcing a Barton timeout.
• The Bulldogs came out of the timeout on a 6-4 run that gave them a 22-16 lead as Mount Olive called a timeout to recollect and strategize.
• Mount Olive put together four points but were just out of reach as Barton won the set 25-20 taking the 1-0 match lead into the second set.

SECOND SET

• Set two began with both teams going point-for-point as the score tied up five times, last at six-all before Barton took a two-point 9-7 lead.
• The Trojans put together a 7-4 run that gave them a one-point, 14-13 lead as the teams approached the midway mark.
• The scores tied up twice more at 14 and 17 all before the Trojans got three consecutive points on a Monaghan kill and a pair of Bulldog errors taking the 20-17 lead into a Barton timeout.
• The Bulldogs managed to ice Kian Hollevoet who was having a nice run serving as he served into the net, but Mount Olive profited from three Barton errors and two Trojan blocks, including a triple block by Yasalonis, Eric Visgitis and Bret Rutledge, to win set two 25-18 and tie up the match at one set apiece.

THIRD SET

• Mount Olive carried the momentum from the second set into the third set as they quickly went up 10-2 over the Bulldogs.
• Barton pulled within three points, 17-14, following the UMO timeout and continued to close the gap trailing by one, 21-20, late in the third set.
• The Trojans took a three-point, 24-21 lead, but consecutive points for the Bulldogs put the lead at just one point, 24-23 and match point for UMO.
• A kill by Monaghan gave Mount Olive the two-point, 25-23, lead to win the third set and take the 2-1 match lead heading into the fourth.

FOURTH SET

• Momentum started with Mount Olive who took a 4-2 lead but switched as Barton went on a 6-1 run taking the 8-5 lead over the Trojans.
• UMO fought back to tie the set at 11 all before two Bulldog kills and a Trojan error gave BC the 14-11 lead.
• Mount Olive hung with Barton as they trailed 17-16 midway through the set before the Bulldogs put together an 8-2 run to close out the set 25-18 and force a fifth set as the match was tied up at two sets per team.

FIFTH SET

• The fifth set was as competitive as one would imagine with rivals pitted against each other in a battle to the end.
• Barton gained a three-point lead, 4-1 early on but Mount Olive came from behind to tie it up at seven all.
• The Bulldogs again went ahead holding a 10-8 lead but the Trojans went on a 4-1 run taking the 12-11 lead forcing a Barton timeout.
• Mount Olive scored one point following the timeout as the Bulldogs held off the Trojans with a 4-1 run to win the fifth set 15-13 and the game 3-2.

KEY STATS

• Brad Monaghan led the Trojans with 17 kills on 40 attempts while hitting .300%. He also added seven digs and assisted on a block.
• Jerell Rogers had a good game with 13 kills on 22 attempts to hit for .545% while digging up three balls and tallying three solo blocks.
• Eric Visigitis was a part of seven blocks on the night including two solo blocks and five assisted stops. He also put down four kills which included three straight in the first set.
• Jeff Yasalonis led the assist category with 41 on the night while also tallying two kills, an ace, five digs, a solo block and two assisted blocks.
• Josh Donahue had his best night of the season with 16 digs and four assists in the game.