MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. - The University of Mount Olive men's volleyball team are set for postseason play after collecting a 9-7 conference record earning the Trojans a home quarterfinal bid as the number four seed in the Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament.
Leading the way for the Trojans this season is freshman Tobi Azeez and the sophomore Visgitis brothers Luke and Eric. Combined the three have tallied 611 kills, 30 service aces, and 191 total blocks. Brad Monaghan, Jarrod Ferguson, and Iyanu Adebisi join the previous three with 100+ kills collecting 170, 143, and 129 respectively.
UMO has run a two-setter system this year with Shane Yeo and Nicolas Laxar sharing the role. Yeo leads the assists category with 650 on the season including a career-high 64 in the five-set win over Limestone on March 22, a performance which he followed with a 62 assist match against North Greenville the following day. Laxar has 346 assists on the season with a season-high 49 in the four-set win at Erskine on March 16.
Joel Roberts has been the glue of the back row after making the switch from opposite hitter to libero this season. Roberts leads the team with 242 digs and averages 2.57 per set and has added 32 assists as well.
UMO as a team is hitting .234% per match with 11.62 kills and 11.03 assists per set.
The Trojans, after earning the No. 4 seed, will host the Saints of Limestone who are the 5th seed in the tournament on Saturday, April 13, at 4 p.m. In the previous two encounters the Trojans defeated the Saints in extra sets; 3-1 on Feb. 2 in Gaffney, S.C., and 3-2 on March 22 at Kornegay Arena.
The winner of Saturday's match will progress to the semifinals, hosted by the highest seed remaining and will face the winner of the No. 1 Barton/No. 8 Erskine match.