Mount Olive Fights From 0-2 Deficit To Defeat King In Five

Match Stats

• Mount Olive def. King 3-2, (16-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-13, 15-13)
• Mount Olive improves to 8-4, 7-0 CC
• King falls to 10-2, 5-1 CC

Press Release

Courtesy of Mount Olive Athletics

After falling behind 2-0, the University of Mount Olive men’s volleyball team rallied to defeat King University, 3-2, in Conference Carolinas action in the Student Center in Bristol, Tennessee.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Mount Olive 3, King 2 (16-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-13, 15-13)
Records: Mount Olive (8-4, 7-0 CC) King (10-2, 5-1 CC)
Location: Student Center, Bristol, Tenn.

How It Happened
Play-by-Play

FIRST SET

• After UMO took an early 3-2 lead, King ran off on a 14-5 run to pull ahead 16-8 in the opening set.
• The Trojans worked themselves back within six on two separate occasions at 17-11 and 19-13, but UMO could draw no closer in King’s 25-16 first set win.
• In the opening set, King hit a scorching .474 while the Trojans hit .235.

SECOND SET

• The Trojans responded in the second set, jumping out to a 10-9 lead over the Tornado.
• Following UMO’s slim advantage, King answered with an 8-3 run to pull ahead 17-13.
• In a back-and-forth set, Mount Olive manufactured a 4-0 run to tie the set at 17.
• King did not allow the Trojans to move ahead, as the Tornado used an 8-4 run to close the frame and take a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-21 second set victory.

THIRD SET

• Looking to end the match, the Tornado jumped out to a 9-6 lead.
• UMO responded with a 7-0 run powered by four kills by junior Robert Poole that pushed the Trojans ahead, 13-9.
• The Tornado got within three at 14-11, but Mount Olive pulled away for the 25-19 set win.

FOURTH SET

• Mount Olive ripped off six-straight points to open the fourth frame and take a 6-0 lead.
• The lead ballooned to nine at 13-4 before King forced a Trojan timeout with a 5-1 run that trimmed UMO’s advantage to 15-10.
• Answering the challenge, Mount Olive ended the set on a 10-3 run to force a fifth set with a 25-13 fourth-set victory.

FIFTH SET

• The first six points of the final set featured three ties before UMO opened a 6-4 lead on the Tornado.
• King was not finished as the Tornado manufactured a 3-0 run that forced a UMO timeout and gave King a 7-6 lead.
• After the Trojans tied the set at 7, the Tornado used a 4-1 run to take an 11-8 advantage in the waning points of the fifth set.
• As was true in each of the final three sets, UMO responded well to pressure, as the Trojans took a 12-11 lead on a 4-0 run.
• King tied the set at 13, but the Trojans moved back ahead, 14-13, on a kill by sophomore Joel Roberts.
• Junior Bret Rutledge captured the thrilling five-set victory for Mount Olive with a service ace to earn the Trojans a 15-13 win in the final frame.

KEY STATS

• On the heels of being named AVCA National Player of the Week, Poole led UMO with 16 kills with a .229 hitting percentage and six service aces in the win.
• Senior Josh Donahue recorded a season-high 24 digs, the second-most in a single match in UMO Men’s Volleyball history, in the victory.
• Junior Jeff Yasalonis tallied a season-high 56 assists to propel Mount Olive to its fifth-straight win.
• Also recording double-figure kills were Rutledge (15), Roberts (13), and senior Andrew Sydow (10).
• After hitting .235 and .133 in the first and second sets, respectively, UMO hit .474, .429, and .269 down the stretch in the final three frames.

Up Next

Mount Olive returns to the court on Saturday for a 2 p.m. showdown with Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C.