Adam Miracle recorded 14 kills and no errors in 17 attempts as Mount Olive extended its winning streak to 14 and matched a school record with its 20th win of the season with a 25-15, 25-12, 25-19 victory over Rutgers-Newark in non-conference men's volleyball Tuesday at Kornegay Arena. Despite playing a non-conference match, Mount Olive clinched at least a share of the Conference Carolinas regular season title by virtue of second place Pfeiffer's loss at Lees-McRae Tuesday.
Mount Olive (20-3 overall, 13-0 Conference Carolinas) holds a three-game lead over Pfeiffer with three regular season conference matches left for both teams. The Trojans already have a win over Pfeiffer and hold the advantage over the next tie-breaker after head-to-head results.
Against Rutgers-Newark, Mount Olive notched blocks on three consecutive points to build a 13-5 lead in the first set and the Trojans were never threatened. Mount Olive recorded five of its 10 team blocks in the opening set to grab a one-set lead.
Alex Rivero sparked a 4-0 run in the second set to break a 2-2 tie and Mount Olive led the rest of the way. After his kill put the Trojans on top 3-2, his one-fisted save from the back line kept a point alive and led to a kill by Angel Dache. Rivero followed with an ace and a kill.
Rutgers-Newark (2-11) pulled within 9-6 after a kill by Nick Collins, but an ace by Ben Casado highlighted a 5-0 Mount Olive run as the Trojans went on to build a double-digit lead and take the second set.
In the third set, Rutgers-Newark grabbed a 7-4 lead as Manuel Felipez and Christopher Kopacz sparked the Scarlet Raiders with two kills apiece. The final set saw nine ties before a pair of Rutgers-Newark errors gave Mount Olive a 19-17 lead. The Trojans scored eight of the final 10 points of the contest, capped by a block by Lewis Einarson and Quaid Martin on match point.
Rivero finished with nine kills, while Einarson added eight kills, two aces and a match-high five blocks. Dache and Tim Ebbecke had four blocks apiece, while Dan Arnold finished with six digs. Casado tallied 25 assists in the first two sets and Martin added 15 assists in the third set.
Miracle's .824 hitting percentage is the 10th highest in school history.
Felipez led Rutgers-Newark with eight kills, while Travis Mintzer added seven kills.
Mount Olive posted a 20-7 record in 2011 on its way to its second consecutive Conference Carolinas championship. The Trojans' regular season title is their third in the four years the conference has sponsored the sport.
The Trojans will be the No. 1 seed in the 2013 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Tournament and will host a semifinal round match April 10 at Kornegay Arena.
Mount Olive returns to action Friday as the Trojans play host to King in a conference match-up. Mount Olive defeated King in three sets in its season opener January 10 at Bristol, Tenn.
Friday's match will also be Senior Night as Dan Arnold, Tim Ebbecke, Adam Miracle, Alex Rivero and Giora Sela will be recognized prior to the match.