Trojans Edge Out Saints In Five Set Thriller

Trojans Edge Out Saints In Five Set Thriller

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. --- The Mount Olive Trojans defeated the Saints of Limestone College in five thrilling sets on Friday evening in Conference Carolinas men's volleyball action at Kornegay Arena in Mount Olive, N.C. Luke Visgitis and Eric Visgitis led the Trojans with 18 and 14 kills respectively.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Mount Olive - Limestone (21-25, 25-21, 25-20, 24-26, 21-19)
Records: Mount Olive (8-12 | 7-4), Limestone (10-8 | 6-5)
Location: Kornegay Arena | Mount Olive, N.C.

How It Happened
Play-by-Play

FIRST SET

  • The opening set began with the teams trading point-for-point as neither team took a solid lead until near the midpoint of the set as Limestone took a 13-11 lead. UMO tallied six kills in the opening run and scored the other five off of Saints errors.
  • UMO pulled back within one point, 21-20, following a 9-8 run that included six more Trojan kills three Limestone errors.
  • The Saints held on as they closed out the opening set on a 4-1 run to win set one 25-21.

SECOND SET

  • Both teams were evenly matched as they remained neck-and-neck through the first half of the set. The score knotted up ten times and the lead switched four times as the teams sat knotted at 13 all.
  • The Trojans took control of the set as they went on a 9-1 rally that put them ahead 22-14. Five kills, an Eric Visgitis ace and three Saint errors contributed to the Trojan run.
  • Limestone clawed their way back as they scored seven more points throughout the remainder of the set but Mount Olive held them off just long enough to score the three points they needed to win set two 25-21.

THIRD SET

  • Set three began much like the first two with the teams knotted up early on as the score sat at six-all.
  • Four consecutive points by the Trojans gave them a 10-6 lead and forced a Limestone timeout as they took a 15-10 lead after a 9-4 run.
  • Mount Olive continued to hold on to their five-point lead as the score rose to 20-15 following three kills and two Saint errors.
  • Limestone climbed within three points, 20-17, but Mount Olive regained their five-point lead to win 25-20 after a run that included three kills and an ace from the twins.

FOURTH SET

  • Following another back and forth beginning, UMO took a slim 9-7 lead early on.
  • The Trojans maintained a two-point lead until the Saints knotted the score at 14 all following a 7-5 run by Limestone.
  • LC took a two-point lead of their own, 22-20, following a run of 8-6 that saw the score tie five times before the Trojans called timeout.
  • UMO went on a 4-1 run out of their own timeout to take a 24-23 lead on a kill, an ace, a double block, and a Saint error, but Limestone scored the final three points to take the third set 26-24 and tie the match at two sets each.

FIFTH SET

  • UMO took early control of the fifth set, 6-3, which was something neither team had done in any of the previous sets.
  • Following their own timeout, the Saints went on a 7-5 run to pull within a point, 11-10, forcing Mount Olive to as for a break in the action to regroup.
  • UMO opened a two-point, 12-10 lead, but it was diminished as the Saints scored on a kill and a Trojan attack error to knot the score at 12 all.
  • The Trojans called their second timeout after the Saints went on a 4-3 run taking a one-point, 16-15 lead. 
  • After emerging from the timeout, the Trojans tallied three points to the Saints one taking an 18-17 lead into a Limestone TO.
  • Limestone tied the score up twice more at 18 and 19 all, but a kill from Tobi Azeez and an ace from Brad Monaghan gave the Trojans the two points they needed to win the fifth set, 21-19, and the match 3-2.

KEY STATS

  • Luke Visgitis and Eric Visgitis led the Trojans with 18 and 14 kills respectively.
  • Jarrod Ferguson joined in the double-digit kill category with 13 kills of his own and added 10 digs for a double-double.
  • Shane Yeo also earned a double-double after putting up a career-high 64 assists and 13 digs in the match.
  • Joel Roberts led the back line with 14 digs while Brad Monaghan was one kill shy of a double-double with nine kills and 11 digs on the night.

UP NEXT

Mount Olive returns to action tomorrow when they host North Greenville University. The Crusaders and Trojans meet in Kornegay Arena for a 2 p.m. first serve on Saturday, March 23.