Robert Poole flirted with a triple-double with nine kills, seven aces and six digs as University of Mount Olive defeated Marymount (Va.) 25-20, 25-15, 25-13 in non-conference men's volleyball Tuesday at Kornegay Arena. Tyler Yanez added four aces – all in the first set – as he and Poole combined for 11 of the Trojans' 12 aces.
Mount Olive (8-7) jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the opening set as Yanez served three consecutive aces. Marymount (9-14) rallied to make it a one-point game as Albert Johanssen's ace cut the Trojans lead to 17-16. After the two teams traded side outs, Yanez served his fourth ace of the set to give Mount Olive some breathing room. Marymount saved one set point before Yanez's second-ball kill gave the Trojans a one-set lead.
In the second set, Mount Olive capitalized on Marymount service errors as the Trojans used an 8-2 run to turn a two-point advantage into a 16-8 lead. The Saints never got any closer than seven points the remainder of the set.
The Trojans led 4-0 in the third set after back-to-back aces by Poole. Marymount pulled within 10-9 after a kill by Graham Clark and another ace by Johanssen. Mount Olive stopped the Saints rally with a side out and broke the game open with 12 unanswered points. Victor Zamudio started the run with a kill and backup setter Jeff Yasalonis followed with a second-ball kill. Poole served four aces during the run to give the Trojans a 22-9 lead and the margin stayed in double figures the remainder of the set.
Victor Fraga Leal and Andrew Sydow added five kills apiece for Mount Olive, while Yanez finished with 14 assists in two sets. Josh Donahue led all players in the back row with seven digs.
T.J. Wiechecki shared match-high honors with nine kills for Marymount. Erich Bratke recorded 20 assists. Marymount is in its second year of men's volleyball.
Mount Olive heads to the state of West Virginia this weekend for a pair of non-conference matches. The Trojans play at Alderson-Broaddus Friday at 7 p.m. and at Charleston Saturday at 2 p.m.