CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Queens finds themselves back in the win column Wednesday evening with a straight-set sweep over Mount Olive (25-19, 25-17, 25-23).
 
With the win, the Royals improve to 4-8 while Mount Olive falls to 4-6. 
 
MATCH SUMMARY
After falling behind 6-4 early in the first set, Daniel Leitao put away a kill that led to Queens taking four of the next five points and find themselves ahead, 8-7. The set remained tight as each of the next nine points would be traded between each team concluding with a 12-12 tie before an ace by Jack Brinkman and a kill by Matthew Pilch gave Queens a 15-12 lead heading into the media timeout. Later in the set, another pair of kills by Pilch and Brinkman pushed the score to 19-15 and forced Mount Olive to call its first timeout of the set. Brinkman would manage two more kills late which helped give Queens a 25-19 first-set victory. 
 
A double block by Nathan Vaupel and Brian Schwob put Queens on the board in the first set and sparked an early strong showing as the team would eventually take a 6-3 lead. Brinkman's second ace of the match which was followed with another kill by Pilch put the Royals ahead 9-4 and forced an early first-called timeout by the Trojans. UMO would respond well and eventually cut the deficit to two (11-9), but Queens fought right back and pushed each of the next three which included a kill by Vaupel and Brinkman, forcing the second and final timeout by Mount Olive. Vaupel would total three kills the rest of the way which would put Queens ahead, 2-0.
 
The third set would be the tightest of the match as both teams would trade early runs before keeping the score within two points for the majority of the set. The lead would change four times early in the set until back-to-back kills by Brinkman and Leitao put Queens ahead 19-17 late. Leitao would ride the hot hand as, with the Royals leading 21-20, Schwob would find Leitao on three of the next four points to give Queens match point at 24-21. UMO would not go down without a fight as they'd take the next two and force Queens to call a timeout of its own. On the final point, Pilch, the team's leading hitter would put the match away with a kill out of the back row. 
  
BY THE NUMBERS

• Daniel Leitao had an efficient, effective night on offense with match-high 16 kills and a .444 hitting percentage. 
• Early in his career, Nathan Vaupel continues to make an impact on both sides as he led the team with three block while totaling six kills and no errors (.667%)
• Brian Schwob distriubuted the ball nicely with 40 assists and added four kills of his own.
• Jack Brinkman reached double-digit kills with 10, while tying with Jordan Guillermo for team-high nine digs.

 
UP NEXT 
Queens will enjoy a week off from competition before taking on Charlotte rival Belmont Abbey on Thursday, February 23.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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