MOUNT OLIVE, N.C.- Racey Bartley and Kailey Preece combined for 13 of Mount Olive's 15 aces as the Trojans defeated Queens 25-12, 25-19, 25-16 in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball Saturday at Kornegay Arena.
Preece set the tone for Mount Olive (11-13 overall, 7-4 Conference Carolinas) with a service winner and two aces in the first three points of the match. Preece also set up a point with a dig off the net as Alicia Mote's kill gave the Trojans a 17-5 lead. The lead remained in double digits and Kari Ham's kill closed out the first set.
In the second set, Preece served a pair of aces during a 9-2 run as Mount Olive broke away from a one-point lead for a 16-8 advantage. A pair of kills by Natalie Weiner (Greensboro, N.C., Page )sparked a late run by Queens (4-19, 4-10), but the Trojans held on to take a two-set lead.
After Queens scored the opening point of the third set, Ham sparked a Trojan scoring run with three kills as Mount Olive built a 6-2 lead. The Royals rallied to tie the match as Tamalea Pierce (Asheboro, N.C., SW Randolph )had two of her three aces. Bartley's serving then broke the set open, notching five aces during a seven-point service run to give the Trojans a 10-point lead. Bartley closed out the win with a kill on match point.
Weiner and Brittany Harvey (Matthews, N.C., Sun Valley )led Queens with four kills apiece, while Amanda Valbert (Champaign, Ill., Champaign Central )recorded 16 assists. Saturday's match was Queens' first at Kornegay Arena with Mount Olive alum Sara Christie as assistant coach. An all-region and all-conference setter at Mount Olive, Christie holds all of the Trojans' assists records.
Mote finished with a match-high 12 kills for Mount Olive, while Preece added nine kills and matched a career high with five aces. Joanie Werling recorded 31 assists to go with four kills, two blocks and an ace. Mallory Peavler had 12 digs and Ham added 10 digs.
In the two teams' first meeting at Queens in September, Mount Olive dropped the first two sets before rallying for a three-set win.
Queens faces Pfeiffer University on Oct. 22 in Misenheimer, N.C.
