Match Stats
- Mount Olive def. Lincoln Memorial 3-2, (25-22, 24-26, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11)
- Mount Olive improves to 10-6
- Lincoln Memorial falls to 6-10
- Match results
Press Release
Courtesy of Mount Olive Athletics
After falling behind 2-1, the University of Mount Olive men’s volleyball team rallied to defeat Lincoln Memorial University, 3-2, in a non-conference match in Mars Gym in Harrogate, Tennessee.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Mount Olive 3, Lincoln Memorial 2 (25-22, 24-26, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11)
Records: Mount Olive (10-6) Lincoln Memorial (6-10)
Location: Mars Gym, Harrogate, Tenn.
How It Happened
Play-by-Play
FIRST SET
- The Trojans got off to a hot start in the opening set as UMO took a 9-3 lead early on.
- LMU came back to get within two points at 20-18.
- In the final points, UMO held its advantage and captured the 25-22 set victory on a kill by sophomore Brad Monaghan.
SECOND SET
- After opening the set with an 11-8 advantage, the Trojans saw the Railsplitters use a 4-0 run to give LMU a 12-11 lead.
- The following eight points featured four ties and three lead changes as Mount Olive grabbed a 16-15 advantage.
- UMO looked to have taken control of the set as the Trojans sat just a point away from the set win with a 24-19 lead.
- Lincoln Memorial put a stop to the Trojans’ run and mounted a 7-0 run of its own to earn the 26-24 second set win and even the match at a set apiece.
THIRD SET
- In a tight set, LMU began to pull away, taking a 13-8 lead.
- UMO fought back within two at 22-20 and within a single point at 24-23.
- The Railsplitters closed out the Trojans, 25-23, to take a two sets to one lead.
FOURTH SET
- Mount Olive was forced to fend off Lincoln Memorial in the fourth set as the Trojans took a slim 11-8 lead.
- The Trojans and Ralisplitters traded points until UMO recorded back-to-back kills by junior Brad Rutledge and Monaghan that pushed Mount Olive’s lead to 15-11.
- LMU stormed back to cut the Trojans’ lead to just one at 20-19, but Mount Olive responded with a 5-1 run to grab the 25-20 set victory and force a fifth set.
FIFTH SET
- After recording the first point and taking a 1-0 lead, UMO never looked back, opening a 7-3 lead on the Railsplitters.
- LMU cut Mount Olive’s lead to just two at 7-5, but the Trojans answered with a 4-0 run to take an 11-5 advantage.
- The Railsplitters had one last run in them as LMU cut the Trojans’ lead to 14-11.
- Mount Olive ended the match with a kill by Rutledge that earned UMO the 15-11 set win and the 3-2 match victory.
KEY STATS
- Rutledge led the Trojans with 17 kills with a .342 attacking percentage in the win.
- Senior Josh Donahue recorded 15 digs for UMO in the victory.
- Junior Jeff Yasalonis tallied 28 assists to lead the Trojans.
- Also recording double-figure kills was Monaghan with a career-high 11.
- UMO narrowly outhit the Railsplitters, .254 to .236, in the victory.
Up Next
Mount Olive returns to Kornegay Arena for a pair of Conference Carolinas matches this weekend, starting with a 7 p.m. matchup with Belmont Abbey College on Friday, March 3 before facing Pfeiffer University at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 4.
Press Release
Courtesy of Lincoln Memorial Athletics
Junior outside hitter Joshua Riblett (Torrence, Calif.) obliterated the program record for kills, but Mount Olive (10-6) rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take down the Railsplitters (6-10) in a five-set thriller at Mary Mars Gym on Sunday afternoon. Lincoln Memorial saw its three-game winning streak snapped by scores of 22-25, 26-24, 25-23, 20-25 and 11-15.
Riblett, who entered Sunday’s showdown against the Trojans with the four highest kill outputs in the Lincoln Memorial University men’s volleyball program’s single-match history, tallied 26 kills on 53 attempts for a .340 attack percentage, smashing the previous record of 18. It also represents the eighth-most kills by any player in a five-set match in the nation this season.
In addition to Riblett, freshman middle Pedro Carvalho (Sao Paulo, Brazil) posted a career-high 16 kills on just 27 attempts for a .444 clip to go along with seven blocks, while Evan Cory (Metairie, La.) and Nico Triana (Miami, Fla.) had six kills apiece. Ryan Iskandar (Tempe, Ariz.) produced five kills without an error on eight tries while racking up 52 assists and seven digs. Jorge Collazo (San Juan, Puerto Rico) led the way with 15 digs, while Cory chipped in 12.
The Railsplitters finished with 62 kills compared to 58 for Mount Olive, but Lincoln Memorial gave away nearly an entire set with 20 service errors. By contrast, the Trojans had just nine service miscues. LMU also had 28 attack errors, but that mark was nearly even with Mount Olive, who finished with 24.
Bret Rutledge led the Mount Olive attack with 17 kills to go along with seven digs and four blocks, while Brad Monaghan had 11 kills, seven digs and four blocks as well. Alex Palmatier notched nine kills and six blocks, while Kian Hollevoet had eight kills and seven digs. Andrew Sydow collected five kills and led the team with seven blocks. Jeff Yasalonis (28) and Shane Yeo (13) combined for 41 assists.
The Trojans never trailed in the opening set and raced out to a 10-4 lead on an Iskandar service error. The Railsplitters controlled the next passage of play and cut the deficit to 12-10 on a Mount Olive miscue, but the Trojans quickly pushed the lead back to 18-13 on a kill by Yasalonis. Lincoln Memorial won four of the next five rallies to pull within two, but that’s as close as it would get. UMO finished off the 25-22 win with a kill by Monaghan.
The back-and-forth second set featured 13 ties and seven lead changes, but a late 7-2 spurt put the Trojans in front 24-19. However, the Railsplitters rode Triana’s serve to end the set on a 7-0 run and stun Mount Olive 26-24. The Trojans had three attack errors over that span, which drew the match even at 1-1, while Iskandar, Riblett and Carvalho had kills.
The Railsplitters carried that momentum into the third set and used a 4-0 flurry to take a 13-8 lead. Lincoln Memorial maintained at worst a two-point cushion down the closing stretch until kills by Hollevoet and Rutledge closed the gap to 23-22. However, an attack error and a kill by Riblett clinched LMU’s 25-23 win.
An early 5-2 run gave the Trojans an 8-5 advantage in the fourth frame, and the Mount Olive lead hovered in that vicinity for most of the set. Lincoln Memorial trailed 15-11, but used a 6-2 spurt capped by a Riblett ace to tie it up at 17-17. However, UMO won three of the next four rallies to pull ahead 20-18. The Railsplitters could never tie it up again after that, while three straight kills by Palmatier sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
The Railsplitters trailed by a narrow 7-5 margin in the fifth set after a kill from Riblett and a Mount Olive attack error, but the Trojans won the next four rallies to build a commanding 11-5 advantage. Lincoln Memorial scratched and clawed from there, but a kill by Rutledge ended it 15-11 in favor of the Trojans.
It marked just the second loss for Lincoln Memorial on its home court and snapped a three-match winning streak at Mary Mars. It was also the fifth five-set match played at Mars Gym this season.
The Railsplitters wrap up their six-match home stand on Tuesday when they welcome Bluefield to Mary Mars Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. start.
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