Mount Olive, N.C. - The University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team emerged victorious with a 3-1 win in their home and Conference Carolinas opener against Limestone College Friday night at Kornegay Arena in Mount Olive, N.C.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Mount Olive 3, Limestone 1 (25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 25-20)
Records: Mount Olive 4-5, 1-0; Limestone 0-5, 0-1
Location: Kornegay Arena
HOW IT HAPPENED
Play-by-Play
FIRST SET
- The Trojans got out to a 10-6 lead after four kills, five Saint errors and an ace by Kamber Skeen.
- Limestone came back to tie the set 12 all before Mount Olive was able to gain control of the set.
- Five kills and a Limestone error gave the Trojans an 18-14 lead late in the set.
- UMO closed out set No. 1 scoring seven points on five kills to win the set 25-21 and gain the momentum.
- Skeen tallied 10 assists, Britni Johnson recorded seven kills and Alyssa Gurnell made two blocks in the opening set win.
SECOND SET
- Set No. 2 started as a back-and-forth battle between the Saints and the Trojans.
- Limestone went up 10-7 on four straight kills, before Mount Olive made their move to tie the set 14 all with four kills and two aces.
- UMO pulled away from LC going on an 11-6 run to win the second set 25-20, and go up 2-0 over the Saints.
- Cyerra Carter tallied two blocks in the second set while Casey Fiechter made seven digs.
THIRD SET
- After a 10 minute halftime, the teams came out on fire as both squads traded points fighting for control.
- After 13 ties and seven lead changes, Limestone pulled ahead 24-21 on a couple kills and an ace.
- The Trojans climbed within one, down 24-23, but an attacking error by UMO gave the Saints the set three win, 25-23.
FOURTH SET
- The Trojans made four kills en route to a 7-4 run that opened the fourth set.
- The Saints came back to tie the match at seven all before UMO started to pull away.
- A total of 15 team kills for the Trojans in the fourth set helped give the home team a 25-20 set win and the 3-1 match win.
KEY STATS
- Kamber Skeen led UMO with 39 assists and collected 15 digs for her second double-double in a row.
- With 17 kills, Britni Johnson led the Trojans' attack, while Cyerra Carter was close behind with 13.
- Casey Fiechter led the serve receive defense with 26 digs, followed by Kaitlin Grote and Skeen each with 15.
- Alyssa Gurnell tallied five blocks, four solo and one assisted, while Carter collected four, two solo and assisted.
NOTABLES
- The win against Limestone was head coach Joelle Mafo's first home and conference win.
- 54 team kills and 50 team assists are the second most of the season, aside from the 57 kills and 53 assists in the five-set win against Fayetteville State.
- The 10 total team blocks are the most of the season.
COACHES COMMENTS
"I am really proud of how the girls stayed focused in the game," said head coach Joelle Mafo. "We were up 2-0 and lost the third set and we had to come back and dig really, really deep to pull out the win in the fourth set and the match. This means a lot to us. We have been working really hard all week to prepare for this weekend because this is the first conference match. It was a great feeling to have our first conference win at home and the first home and conference win of my career, so I am excited about that. I really have to reappreciate the whole teams' efforts, because it is not about one person, it takes hard work at practice, it takes discipline and focus in order to come back from a really dangerous situation. We have to be happy with the win and we are excited about tomorrow."
NEXT UP
The Trojans play again tomorrow, September 16, as they host the Valkyries of Converse at 2 p.m.
