Mount Olive Falls To Harvard In Straight Sets

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. --- The Mount Olive Trojans fell to the Crimson of Harvard University in straight sets on Tuesday evening in NCAA Division I men's volleyball action at Kornegay Arena in Mount Olive, N.C.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Harvard 3 - Mount Olive 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-16)
Records: Mount Olive (7-12), Harvard (6-10)
Location: Kornegay Arena | Mount Olive, N.C.

How It Happened
Play-by-Play

FIRST SET

• The teams began the opening set pretty close as they sat tied at four-all through eight serves.
• Harvard led a 7-1 rally that forced a Mount Olive timeout as the score sat 11-5 Crimson leading.
• UMO rallied back to trail by two, 18-16, following an 11-7 run that forced Harvard to call a timeout. Five kills, five Crimson errors, and a double block by Yigit Erkek and Iyanu Adebisi all contributed to the Trojan run.
• Following their timeout, Harvard went on a 7-3 run to close out the set winning 25-19 and taking a 1-0 match lead.

SECOND SET

• Set two was competitive all the way through the middle of the set. Back-to-back errors by the Crimson, pulled the Trojans within one-point, 8-7, before Harvard went on a 4-1 run to take a 12-8 lead.
• Mount Olive kept things close, as a kill by Erkek pulled the team back within two points following an 8-6 run that put the score at 18-16.
• Harvard opened up a six-point lead after scoring four consecutive points to hold a 22-16 lead late in the set.
• The Trojans scored three more points off of two Crimson errors and a kill by Brad Monaghan but ran out of time and fell short 25-19.

THIRD SET

• UMO went point-for-point with HU as the teams sat knotted up at 10 all through the opening half of the third set.
• Harvard went on a 10-3 run that forced Mount Olive to use both timeouts to try and stop the Crimson attack as the visitors led 20-13 at the second TO.
• Iyanu Adebisi scored three more kills for the Trojans but UMO could not overcome the seven-point difference as Harvard went on to close the set on a 5-3 run winning 25-16 and taking the match in three sets.

KEY STATS

• Iyanu Adebisi led the team with nine kills, while Tobi Azeez had six.
• Nicolas Laxar tallied 17 assists and Shane Yeo added 10.
• Joel Roberts played stellar defense with 12 digs of the teams 32.

UP NEXT

Mount Olive is home this weekend as they host a pair of Conference Carolinas opponents in Limestone and North Greenville. The Trojans and Saints meet at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 22, while the Crusaders come to Kornegay Arena on Saturday, March 23, for a 2 p.m. first serve against the home Trojans.