Concord Splits Matches on Final Day of Mount Olive Invite

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The Concord University volleyball team won its first match of the day against Mount Olive and lost its second game of the day against Edinboro at the Mount Olive Invite Saturday.
 
Game 1: Concord 3 – Mount Olive 0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-22)
 
Set 1
Three errors from the Trojans got the game started as CU led, 3-1. Sophomore outside hitter Meg Williams recorded the first two kills for Concord to knot the game, 6-6. A trio of kills from sophomore outside hitter Chloe Thompson, Williams, and senior middle hitter Kyndra Pilant midway through the set gave the Mountain Lions back the lead, 11-10. Williams smashed three more kills as part of a 5-0 run to extend the margin, 17-12. A series of trading points sealed the first set, 25-19.
 
Set 2
A pair of service aces from Pilant capped an early Maroon and Gray run to lead 6-3. Sophomore setter Declyn Tooze followed with two aces of her own during another Concord run that brought the score to 12-4. Sophomore setter Paige Richmond served an ace to limit an UMO charge that kept CU ahead, 18-14. After the Trojans tied the frame 22-22, Thompson and Pilant added kills to secure a 2-0 game lead, 25-22.
 
Set 3
Williams and sophomore right side Natalie Brown evened up the start of the third set, 4-4. While Mount Olive charged consecutive 3-0 runs, CU answered with a seven-point swing. The run began with four straight Trojans attack errors followed by a kill from freshman right side Maddie Stull to jump ahead 13-11. UMO would go up once again, but another four-point Concord spurt gave the Mountain Lions the late edge, 20-19. Back-to-back kills from Pilant and one final swing from Thompson gave CU its first win of the 2024 season, sweeping Mount Olive with a 25-22 final score in the final frame.
 
Match Stats
As a team, CU hit a season-best .244 in the match. Pilant hit for the best percentage on the team, logging nine kills on 16 swings for a .543 percentage. Williams was the only Mountain Lion in double figures with 11 kills in the match. Tooze led CU with 17 assists and tied her career-high of four aces. Sophomore defensive specialist Allie Davis finished with 22 digs.
 
Game 2: Edinboro 2 – Concord 0 (17-25, 22-25, 28-26, 17-25)
 
Set 1
The Fighting Scots took control of the first set early on, 12-5. CU got some momentum during a three-point scoring spurt headed by two kills from Pilant, bringing the score to 12-8. Later in the set, Tooze picked up back-to-back kills as Concord trailed by six, 20-14. Thompson scored the final CU point before Edinboro closed out the first frame, 25-17.
 
Set 2
An EU service error and a kill from Thompson got CU going, 2-0. Sophomore middle hitter Jasmine Anderson picked up her first kill of the match to keep Concord ahead 4-3. After Edinboro regained the advantage, a kill from Brown and an ace from Pilant knotted the set 12-12. Kills from Stull and Thompson put the Mountain Lions back in front, 17-16. However, a late run from the Fighting Scots gave EU a 2-0 set advantage.
 
Set 3
A pair of attack errors and a kill from Brown pushed Concord ahead 4-3 in the third frame. Back-to-back kills from Stull and Williams capped a four-point CU scoring run to lead 10-9. A five-point charge led by a pair of kills from Thompson saw Concord grab its largest lead of the set, 18-15. Another kill from Thompson put the Mountain Lions back up later on, 22-19. Edinboro took the late lead 24-22, but not before kills from Williams and Brown gave Concord the edge. A block by Anderson and Brown capped off the third frame, 28-26.  
 
Set 4
A trio of kills from Anderson, Williams, and Pilant got CU within one early on, 8-7. Williams scored the next three points for Concord before an ace from Pilant kept the Mountain Lions close, 13-11. Thompson, Anderson, and Brown added kills in the latter half of the set, but Edinboro closed out the sweep 25-17.
 
Match Stats
Thompson notched her second double-double on the season, picking up 12 kills and 15 digs. Williams also finished with double-digit kills (11). Both CU setters tallied dover 20 assists led by Richmond with 22 and Tooze with 21. Anderson and Brown led the way defensively, swatting four and three blocks, respectively. Davis collected 20 digs in back-to-back games, filling the stat sheet with 23 digs.
The Mountain Lions stay on the road to face Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, N.C. in a non-conference matchup September 18 at 7:00 p.m.