Angel Dache recorded a match-high 19 kills, including the deciding kill in the longest set in University of Mount Olive men's volleyball history as the Trojans outlasted former Conference Carolinas member Coker College 25-17, 37-35, 25-22 in a non-conference match-up Tuesday at Kornegay Arena. Each team saved six points before the Trojans finally claimed the second set.
Mount Olive (2-6) controlled most of the opening set to take a one-set lead. Quaid Marin served back-to-back aces midway through the set and Trojan libero Josh Donahue set up a key point late in the set with a diving fingertip service reception near the net and Victor Fraga Leal finished the point with a kill from the left side.
In the second set, Coker (4-6) built a 23-20 lead as Leshon Alexander and Chris Thomas combined on a pair of blocks. Kills by Dache and Steven Cruse started a three-point Trojan run to tie the set. After a Coker timeout, Jared Geizer's kill gave the Cobras their first set point and triggered a series of side outs.
Mount Olive saved four set points before Garrett Dimm's kill gave the Trojans a 28-27 lead. A Mount Olive service error and attack error put Coker back on top, but Lewis Einarson's kill tied the set 29-29.
After another kill by Geizer gave Coker its sixth set point, Dache answered with back-to-back kills to give Mount Olive its second set point. Coker's Artur Cabral saved three set points with kills to offset back-to-back Cobra service errors.
Dimm's kill broke a 35-35 tie and Dache's school record 14th kill of the set gave Mount Olive a two-set lead.
The set was the Trojans' second this season to go into the 30's. Mount Olive posted a 32-30 win in the first set against Erskine January 25.
The third set didn't require "overtime," but Mount Olive needed kills by Cruse and Andrew Sydow to break away from a 17-17 tie and go on top to stay. The Trojans clinged to a 23-22 lead before a Coker service error and Dache's kill ended the match.
Cruse finished with 14 kills for Mount Olive, while Marin tallied 49 assists and eight digs. Cruse and Marin each served two aces. Donahue recorded a team-high nine digs and four different Trojans finished with two blocks.
Cabral and Geizer led Coker with 14 kills apiece. Cabral, who had no errors in 19 attempts for a .632 hitting percentage, shared match-high honors with Alexander with four blocks. Ricardo Ferrer had 34 assists and Cooper Lyon finished with a match-high 14 digs.
The longest set in Mount Olive volleyball history - men or women - was a 74-point second set against Edinboro in the quarterfinal round of the 2005 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball East Regional. The Trojans lost the set 38-36. The match took place when 30 points were required to win a set.
Mount Olive resumes Conference Carolinas play this weekend with a pair of home contests at Kornegay Arena. The Trojans play host to Lees-McRae Friday at 7 p.m., then entertain King Saturday at 1 p.m. After this weekend, the Trojans have only two more regular season home matches, both in March.