CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team (1-2) suffered a setback on Tuesday night falling to the Mount Olive Trojans (2-0) by a final score of 3-1 inside Curry Arena. With the loss, the Royals fall to 2-5 all-time against the Trojans.
 
After the Trojans grabbed an early 4-1 lead in the opening set, neither team was able to hold a lead larger than two until the Trojans rallied five straight and took a 20-15 lead. Both squads minimized their errors in the first playing a relatively clean set. Mount Olive was scorching hot on the attack mounting 17 kills and a .419 attack percentage while Queens would hit .176 and record 11 kills. Jack Brinkman managed to record four kills in the opener.
 
Mount Olive would not cool off in the second frame as they jumped out to a 6-2 lead. After earning three straight points and closing the deficit to two at 7-5, Mount Olive responded and the Royals were not able to get within three for the remainder of the set. The visitors would notch 11 kills on a .308 hitting percentage while the attack errors accumulated for Queens as they committed ten in the second.
 
In a must-win third set, both squads exchanged points early as the Royals looked dialed in. Head Coach Jeremy Price's experienced squad found their rhythm and rallied four straight points to grab an 11-6 lead and force a Mount Olive timeout. The aggressive Trojans attack would not shy away as they responded and closed the Royals lead to two at 15-13, but Queens would counter with four consecutive points and regain a 19-13 advantage. In a set full of rallies, Mount Olive strung together an 8-1 run and took a late lead. Queens would not back down however as they capitalized on a pair of Trojan attack errors to secure the set, 25-22. In the set, Queens hit a season-high .345 with 14 kills while forcing Mount Olive into a .184 mark with eight errors.
 
Facing another must-win set, the Royals fell behind early 12-9. Again, Queens displayed their effort and grit as they produced five consecutive points and took a 14-13 lead and forced a Mount Olive timeout. The Trojans would come out of the timeout and be all business as they closed on a 12-5 run and secured the match. In the fourth, Mount Olive hit a game-high .429 while adding 13 kills and the Royals were limited to a .152 mark and 13 kills.
 
The Royals were led by junior Jack Brinkman who posted his first career double-double with a team-high 13 kills and 10 digs. Daniel Leitao was incredible again adding 21 assists, eight kills, and seven digs. Stirling Sims locked down the net for Queens with five block assists and a solo block. Brandon Grabow was just short of a double-double on the evening as the junior finished with 22 assists and eight digs.
 
Three Trojans notched double-digit kills, including a game-high 18 from Tobi Azeez. Oliver Merritt would facilitate the attack with 42 assists while adding five kills. As a team, Mount Olive hit .325 with 56 kills and recorded 11 team blocks on defense.
 
Queens will now head north for a pair of road matches in the Harvard Invitational beginning on Friday night. The Royals will match up with Harvard on Friday, Jan. 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Malkin Athletic Center. On Saturday, Queens is slated to square off with Fairleigh Dickinson University at 2:00 p.m. before heading back to the Queen City. For fans looking to attend, please refer to the Harvard Spectator Policy prior to the trip.

Be sure to follow the Royals men's volleyball program on Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news and updates surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics to follow all of the Royals sports in action.