Franklin Springs, GA- The Emmanuel Men's Volleyball hosted the University of Mount Olive this afternoon in conference action. The Trojans got out to a hot start, taking the first set in back-and-forth fashion, 25-23. The Trojans followed that up with a 25-21 win in set two and closed out the game with a competitive win in set three, 25-23. With the loss, the Lions fall to 4-8 on the season, 1-3 in conference play.

The Lions jumped out to a 5-2 lead in set one on kills by Aidan Feeney, Matthieu Bataille, and Elek Cumming. The Trojans responded to tie the set at 7-7 but the Lions retook the lead on kills by Feeney, Bataille, and Thijs Van der Wal to go ahead 11-9. Mount Olive tied the set at 15-15 midway through, taking the lead on a 3-0 run to go up 18-16.  The Lions tied the set up late, 21-21 on an ace from Bataille but the Trojans closed it strong to earn the 25-23 win.

In set two, the Lions took an early 6-3 lead on kills by Feeney and Cumming, but Mount Olive answered to tie the set at 7-7 and retake the lead, 10-8. The Lions answered, pulling within a point of the lead on an ace by Bryan Povea to make it 13-12, Trojans. Mount Olive responded with a 9-2 run to take a 22-15 lead late, and they closed out the set strong to take the win, 25-21. 

The Lions took a 5-3 lead early in the 3^rd set on kills by Feeney, Bataille, and Cumming but the Trojans answered to pull within a point of the lead, 7-6. The Lions responded with a 3-0 run to take a 10-7 lead, but the Trojans tied the set at 13-13 midway through the set. The teams traded points and the lead the rest of the way with Feeney and Van der Wal making key plays late. With the Lions up 23-21, the Trojans scored the final four points to earn the 25-23 set three win and the game, 3-0. 

Overall, the Lions had 43 kills, 4 aces, 4 blocks, 39 assists and 37 digs. 

Aidan Feeney led the way with 20 kills on the night, with Bryan Povea, Greg Bodus, and Feeney each getting an ace at the service line. Elek Cumming led the Lions with 3 blocks on the day, with Bodus grabbing 37 assists. Elek Cumming had 8 digs on the afternoon to lead the team.  

Next up the Lions will travel to Banner Elk, NC to face Lees McRae College on Friday at 7PM.

For more information on Emmanuel University athletics, visit goeulions.com.