Mount Olive teams in action this weekend

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on September 22, 2006 2:11 PM

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Coming off its highest single-match blocking performance in two years, Mount Olive hopes to have a weekend block party as the Trojans play host to a pair of Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference volleyball matches at Kornegay Arena.

The Trojans take on conference leader Limestone Saturday at 3 p.m., then face Anderson Sunday at 2 p.m.

Mount Olive (5-6 overall, 4-3 CVAC) is coming off a five-game win over Pfeiffer Wednesday as the Trojans recorded 20.5 team blocks. The match marked the first time the Trojans surpassed the 20-block mark since tallying 22 blocks against Charleston (W. Va.) on September 10, 2004.

Mount Olive entered Wednesday's match ranked No. 29 in the nation in blocks per game. Sophomore Corie Skislak, who registered a career-high 10 blocks Wednesday, ranks fourth in the CVAC with 1.32 blocks per game. Senior Anna-Marie Luft tallied nine blocks against Pfeiffer, including five solo blocks. Skislak and Luft also combined for seven aces.

Junior Sam Mitchell remains the only player in the CVAC averaging more than 4.0 kills and 4.0 digs per game. She ranks second in the conference in kills.

Limestone (11-6, 6-0) defeated Belmont Abbey 3-0 Wednesday to remain the lone unbeaten team in the conference. The Saints, which lead the nation in digs per game, are three wins away from matching last year's conference win total.

Anderson (10-7, 4-3) is coming off a 3-1 non-conference loss to Presbyterian Tuesday. Anderson will face Barton Saturday.

Mount Olive enters this weekend tied with Anderson for sixth place in the CVAC standings. This weekend's contests are the Trojans' third and fourth matches of their six-match homestand.

Women's soccer

Mount Olive head women's soccer coach Chris Shaw said after a shutout loss earlier this month, "If you don't score, you don't win." After going through a recent scoring slump, the Trojans appear to have regained their scoring touch. And they have the wins to show for it.

Mount Olive returns to action Saturday as the Trojans play host to Converse in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference women's soccer. Match time is 1 p.m. at Trojan Field.

Mount Olive (6-4-0 overall, 2-1-0 CVAC) is coming off a dramatic 3-2 overtime win over regionally fifth-ranked Pfeiffer Wednesday at Misenheimer, N.C. The win marked the first time in Mount Olive women's soccer history that the Trojans defeated a regional top five team.

The win was the Trojans' second in a row in overtime over Pfeiffer. Mount Olive defeated the Falcons 4-3 in overtime in the semifinal round of last year's CVAC Tournament.

Sophomore midfielder Jessica Smoot scored the deciding goal with just 10 seconds remaining in overtime. The goal was Smoot's second collegiate overtime game-winner. April Jacobs and Trojan career goal-scoring leader Gina Dos Santos also scored goals for Mount Olive.

After being limited to only one goal during a four-match losing skid, Mount Olive has scored nine goals in its last two matches, resulting in back-to-back conference wins.

Converse (2-6, 1-4) fell 4-1 to Anderson Wednesday. Ashley Carry leads the All-Stars with three goals.

Mount Olive defeated Converse 8-2 in last year's meeting as Lyndsay Brennan recorded four assists. The Trojans have scored a total of 17 goals in their last two matches against Converse.

Men's soccer

The Mount Olive men's soccer team aims to get back on the winning track Saturday as the Trojans play host to Guilford in a non-conference match-up. Match time is 4 p.m. at Trojan Field.

Mount Olive (3-5-0) is coming off a 4-1 loss at Pfeiffer Wednesday. Chris Jasso scored the Trojans' goal early in the second half after capturing a loose ball off a missed penalty kick.

As the offense goes, so go the Trojans in 2006. Mount Olive is averaging five goals per game in its three wins this season, but has scored only five goals overall in its five losses.

Sophomore Matt Wallin continues to leads the Trojans with three goals, while four other players have scored two goals each. A total of 12 Trojans have scored a goal for Mount Olive this season.

Guilford (2-3-1) is coming off a 2-1 loss to Hampden-Sydney (Va.) Wednesday. Scott Meguid leads the Quakers with four goals.

Mount Olive and Guilford battled to a 3-3 tie last season at Greensboro. Woody Stilley scored two goals for the Trojans.

Saturday's contest is the first of three consecutive home non-conference matches for Mount Olive. The Trojans play host to Southern Virginia Monday in a match originally scheduled for August 31, then wrap up the homestand Wednesday against Francis Marion.

Cross country

After a week off, the Mount Olive men's and women's cross country teams return to action Saturday as the Trojans compete in the North Carolina Collegiate Championships in Greensboro.

Sophomore Corey Doub was the men's team's top finisher in the Trojans' season opener at the Campbell University Invitational. Senior Donnie Duggins was the Trojans' top finisher two weeks ago at the Eye-Opener Invitational in Spartanburg, S.C.

On the women's side, Dani Boyes was Mount Olive's top finisher at Campbell and Krystal Kee was the Trojans' top finisher at the Eye-Opener.

The Trojan women's team will be at full strength Saturday as two-sport athletes Boyes and Stephanie Behrend trade their soccer cleats for running shoes to compete in the N.C. Collegiate Championships.