Trojan spikers upset Belmont Abbey

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 8, 2010 1:52 PM

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MOC Sports Information

MOUNT OLIVE -- Freshman middle hitter Carly White recorded a match-high 13 kills -- including three in the waning moments of set four -- and Mount Olive College upset Belmont Abbey College, 25-18, 25-18, 12-25, 25-22 in their Conference Carolinas women's volleyball match Saturday afternoon at Kornegay Arena.

Prior to the match, both teams and everyone in attendance paused for a moment of silence in memory of Belmont Abbey cross country/track and field coach Bill Hodge. Hodge passed away Friday after suffering a heart attack while coaching his team at the Conference Carolinas cross country championship meet in Charlotte.

Hodge started the MOC track and field programs in 2008.

The Trojans' Mount Olive's lone senior, Kailey Preece, had five kills, nine digs and 38 assists in her final collegiate home match. Libero Feliz Ramirez contributed 13 digs and five service aces, during a key run in the decisive fourth set.

Mount Olive (7-22 overall, 4-14 CC) is the No. 8 seed for the season-ending conference tournament. The Trojans travel to regular-season champion Lees-McRae on Tuesday.

Belmont Abbey (18-10) concluded conference play 11-7.

"It was definitely important to us to try to get a win for Kailey on senior day," said freshman Nicole Powell, who had four kills, seven digs and three blocks. "That was definitely a motivation."

Cross country

CHARLOTTE -- Dalton Souza, Ronnie Sturgill and Paul Hoffman all shattered the existing school record in the 8K during the season-ending, Conference Carolinas men's cross country championship meet on Friday.

Souza placed eighth in 25 minutes, 21.6 seconds. Sturgill ended up ninth in 25:40.6 and Hoffman took 10th in 25:43.8. The trio earned second-team, all-conference honors and helped Mount Olive take second in the team competition behind Queens, which recorded a perfect score of 15.

Jamar Davis, who earned third-team all-conference accolades, and Chris Menjares (16th) rounded out the Trojans' scoring.

Souza, Sturgill and Hoffman now own seven of the eight fastest 8k times in Trojan history.

On the women's side, Chelsea Long and Courtney Siefert garnered all-conference honors and Mount Olive logged a program-best, second-place finish in the championship meet. One year ago, the Trojans finished 10th out of 12 teams.

Long took ninth and Seifert wound up 12th.

Queens won the team title with 20 points, followed by Mount Olive with 89.