SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Morgan Pearson recorded her seventh double-double of the season to help lead the Converse (4-16, 1-5 CC) volleyball team to its first conference win with a dominating 3-0 performance against Mount OIive (3-12, 0-4 CC) on Friday evening. Pearson led the Valkyries with 14 kills to go along with 13 digs. This marks the first time since October 14th, 2003 the Valkyries have defeated Mount Olive, snapping a 15-game losing streak.
Elizabeth Yohe posted seven kills and 15 digs, while Kelsey Elliott tallied a game-high 20 digs to anchor the defense. Jordan Mrkvicka and Lauren Tharrington combined for 28 assists.
Set one was a back-and-forth affair as the two teams traded the initial 20 points. With the frame knotted at 10-all, Mount Olive used a 6-2 spurt to take a four point advantage. However, the Valkyries chipped away at the deficit until finally tying the set at 20. A service ace by Tharrington sparked a 5-2 run to give Converse a 25-22 set win.
The Valkyries continued the momentum into set two, racing out to a commanding 10-3 lead following back-to-back kills by Pearson. This time the Trojans battled from behind, closing the gap to two points on several occasions, but that was as close as the score would get as Converse took a 2-0 match lead with a 25-22 set win.
Not wanting to go to a pivotal fourth set, Converse fired on all cylinders to start the third, building a double-digit lead (15-5) early. Four consecutive points by UMO narrowed the gap to 15-9, but a 7-1 outburst, capped off by a massive kill from Ansley Hodge. From that point it was all academic as the Valkyries finished off the sweep with a convincing 25-13 set three win.
The Valkyries will return to the court tomorrow afternoon as they host Barton in a Conference Carolinas clash. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.