January 27, 2012

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. - Corey Frain tallied 12 kills, while Omar Rivera dished 44 assists to lead the IPFW men's volleyball team to a 3-1 road win Friday evening in Mount Olive, N.C.

IPFW wins the first of two matches against the Trojans this weekend, improving the 'Dons overall record to 4-3 in 2012. The Mastodons are 3-2 on the road. Mount Olive falls to 2-3 with the home loss.

Returning to the road after a pair of home games last weekend, the Mastodons found its groove early against Mount Olive, taking a 10-7 first set lead. A kill on the next point from Frain jump started a 10-2 'Don run, forcing Mount Olive to take a timeout midway through. The break only fueled the visitors, though, as kills from Eddie Rivera and O. Rivera earned set point, where Phil Peterson tallied a kill to hand IPFW set one, 25-15.

IPFW's fine play carried over into frame two, as the 'Dons steamed ahead to a 16-10 advantage. Bryan Saunders, along with Frian, provided much of the offense in the set, as the pair combined for five kills. With the offense rolling, IPFW drew set point at 24-17, where Saunders received a set from Rivera, which ended with a kill to put the visitors in front in the match, 2-0.

Mount Olive took set three 25-23, feeding off a .094 hitting-mark and nine attack errors from the IPFW.

In the fourth and final set, the teams battled until 9-9, before a kill from Elon Fyfield gave IPFW the lead at 10-9, which they didn't lose. Peterson followed with another point to give the 'Dons momentum up to match point at 24-16. On the final play, Trojan John Nunns went up for a kill only to be blocked by Frain and Fyfield, cementing the IPFW win.

Frain's 12 kills paced IPFW, while E. Rivera and Peterson each recorded 11. Fyfield also managed 10 kills. The 'Dons finished with a .371 hitting percentage on Friday.

The teams will wrap up the weekend doubleheader Saturday morning at 10 a.m. EST.