UNCP volleyball gets big win against Mount Olive
Oct. 5—PEMBROKE — The UNC Pembroke volleyball team hit .226 from the net and registered 11 blocks on the way to a key 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 27-25) victory over Conference Carolinas rival Mount Olive on Wednesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The victory for the Braves (11-7, 6-2 CC) have now won their last five matches and improve to 5-1 when playing at home. The setback for the Trojans (11-6, 5-1 CC) snapped a six-game winning streak and marked their first loss in conference play.
UNC Pembroke hit a match-high .316 from the net and took an 11-5 lead after a kill from Vanja Przulj in the opening set. Mount Olive trimmed its deficit back to 16-13 after a kill from Ashlyn Stone, but the Trojans hit just .158 from the net during the set. UNCP extended the lead out to 21-15 following a Trojan attack error and never looked back, winning 25-19.
UMO took an early 8-5 lead, but blocks from Ruby Countryman and Emma Fraidenburg cut the UNCP deficit back to 13-12. Mount Olive put together a 4-0 scoring surge to push their lead out to 21-16, but UNC Pembroke used three straight points to tie the score at 23 apiece. The Trojans took the set 25-23 after capturing the final two points.
A Mount Olive attack error gave UNC Pembroke a 10-6 lead. The Trojans tied the score at 13 apiece after a UNCP attack error, and UMO took a 20-17 lead after another attack error. The Braves hit .258 from the net while the Trojans hit .077 and UNC Pembroke used three consecutive points to take the lead for good, and won 25-23.
Mount Olive scored four of the first six points to lead 4-2, but an Fraidenburg kill later in the set knotted the score at 13 apiece. UMO eventually took a slight 23-22 lead, but UNCP won five of the final seven points to take the set 27-25 and win the match.
Przulj had 23 kills, 20 digs, two blocks and two aces for UNCP, Abby Peduzzi had 12 kills, Fraidenburg had nine kills, Katie Pressley had 43 assists, 16 digs and six blocks, Hope Turbyfill had 19 digs and seven assists and Countryman had nine blocks.
The Braves will hit the road to Due West, S.C. on Friday to face Erskine (1-15, 1-5 CC). First serve is set for 7 p.m. at the Belk Arena.
