Dezirae Mackey and Montgomery Register combined for 20 kills and no errors in 29 attempts and Alysha Burnett served an ace on match point as University of Mount Olive defeated Pfeiffer 25-17, 25-13, 21-25, 25-18 in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball Friday at Kornegay Arena. The win was the Trojans' second in their last three matches.
Mackey finished with 12 kills in 18 attempts for a .667 hitting percentage, while Register notched eight kills in 11 attempts for a .727 hitting percentage. Mount Olive (7-18 overall, 3-8 Conference Carolinas) had only five attack errors as a team through the first two sets.
The Trojans swept through the first two sets, but needed a fourth set after Pfeiffer (0-19, 0-12) took the third set. Mount Olive never trailed in the fourth set but was unable to pull away until a 5-0 run gave the Trojans a 22-15 lead. Burnett triggered the run with a solo block and a kill on an overpass on consecutive points and Register capped the run with her third ace of the night.
The margin never fell below five points the rest of the way as Mackey's kill gave the Trojans a 24-18 lead to set up match point. Burnett, who also had three aces, pinpointed her serve just inside the left corner to seal the victory.
In the opening set, back-to-back aces by Samantha Winfield highlighted a five-point run as the Trojans broke away from a 3-3 tie and led for the remainder of the set. Aubrey McKinney served an ace on set point and opened the second set with an ace to help stake Mount Olive to a 10-4 lead. The margin reached double figures after Burnett's kill gave the Trojans a 20-10 advantage on their way to a two-set lead.
Pfeiffer jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the third set as Katie Wilson served aces on each of the first two points. Mount Olive never led in the set as a pair of kills by Kelly Blauser gave Pfeiffer its biggest lead at 21-16. The Trojans got as close as three points, but Allison Rosas' kill on set point kept the Falcons in the match.
Register and Sarah Watkins led the Trojans at the net with seven blocks apiece, while Burnett had a match-high 13 digs to go with eight kills. Jordan Barnes added 11 digs for Mount Olive. Setters McKinney and Winfield combined for 38 assists and five aces.
Blauser led Pfeiffer with 11 kills and only one error in 19 attempts for a .526 hitting percentage. Haley Denny had a team-high 11 digs and added a kill from the libero position.
Mount Olive returns to action Saturday as the Trojans play host to Belmont Abbey in a Conference Carolinas match-up. Match time is 2 p.m. at Kornegay Arena.