University of Mount Olive had set points in each of the final two sets, but the third-seeded Trojans fell to top-seeded Erskine 25-20, 26-24, 27-25 in the championship match of the 2014 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Tournament Wednesday at Due West, S.C. Steven Cruse and Angel Dache represented the Trojans on the All-Tournament Team.
Mount Olive (15-12) rallied from a 22-19 deficit in the second set as Garrett Dimm's kill and a block by Cruse and Lewis Einarson triggered a 5-1 run. Setter Quaid Marin's kill broke a 23-23 tie and gave the Trojans a set point.
After a timeout, Erskine (21-6) tied the set 24-24 on a kill by Tournament MVP Michael Michelau, who gave the Flying Fleet a set point with another kill. Michelau capped his own set-ending 3-0 run with a solo block to give Erskine a two-set lead.
The Trojans trailed 12-7 in the third set, before Dimm and Dache combined for five points during an 8-0 run to take the lead. Dimm served a pair of aces and Dache had three kills as Mount Olive went on top 15-12.
Mount Olive held the lead until Erskine tied the set 23-23. Dache's kill gave the Trojans a set point, but the Flying Fleet got a side out on a service error. Mount Olive got another set point on a kill by Cruse, but Erskine denied the Trojans on a kill by Omar Melendez.
Erskine capitalized on Trojan errors on the final two points to claim its first conference title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament Play-In Match.
Dache finished with 18 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, while Cruse added 11 kills and a .368 hitting percentage. Einarson recorded five blocks and Marin tallied 36 assists.
Michelau led Erskine with 14 kills.
Mount Olive has reached the championship match for the fourth time in the five-year history of the Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Tournament. The Trojans won titles in 2010 and 2011.