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Updated: Oct. 17, 2019
Jonathan Bates | Associate Editor
Mount Olive will play seven non-conference matches in the 2020 season, with six being on the road and one being a neutral site match. The Trojans kick off the season with a challenging five-matches-in-five-days stretch.
Two of the non-conference matches will be at EIVA opponents – Sacred Heart and Harvard. The Harvard match is a return match of a home-and-home series that the Crimson swept last season.
Harvard returns everyone except middle attacker Trevor Dow. The Crimson, just two years removed from an EIVA tournament championship, finished 6-16 (5-9 EIVA) last season. Setter Matt Ctvrtlik was named to the all-EIVA first-team, while Dow and outside attacker Campbell Schoenfeld received Honorable Mention nods.
The Trojans finished fourth in the ConfCarolinas standings with a 9-7 record, and 11-16 overall in 2019. Mount Olive returns four players that earned all-conference honors last season – middle attacker Eric Visgitis (second team), outside attacker Tobi Azeez (second team), middle attacker Luke Visgitis (third team), and setter Shane Yeo (third team).
Mount Olive’s strength is on the defensive side as they ranked fourth nationally with 9.99 digs per game last season and 11th nationally with 2.28 blocks per game.
For the first time ever, the Trojans will play against MPSF foe, BYU. BYU will play a pair of matches at Kornegay Arena on the third weekend of January.
Rounding out the Trojans’ non-conference schedule are three matches against Independent teams, including two first programs – Urbana and Tusculum. Mount Olive will also travel to play at Lindenwood and Quincy early in the season.
Mount Olive’s conference schedule concludes with five consecutive away matches.
Mount Olive 2020 schedule
Tuesday, Jan 7 at Lincoln Memorial
Thursday, Jan 9 at Lindenwood
Friday, Jan 10 at Quincy
Saturday, Jan 11 vs. Urbana (neutral site)
Saturday, Jan 11 at Tusculum
Friday, Jan 17 vs. BYU
Saturday, Jan 18 vs. BYU
Tuesday, Jan 21 vs. Belmont Abbey
Friday, Jan 24 at Emmanuel
Saturday, Jan 25 at Erskine
Friday, Feb 7 at Sacred Heart
Saturday, Feb 8 at Harvard
Friday, Feb 14 vs. North Greenville
Saturday, Feb 15 vs. Limestone
Tuesday, Feb 18 vs. Barton
Wednesday, Feb 26 at Belmont Abbey
Friday, Feb 28 vs. King
Saturday, Feb 29 vs. Lees-McRae
Friday, Mar 13 vs. Erskine
Saturday, Mar 14 vs. Emmanuel
Friday, Mar 20 at King
Saturday, Mar 21 at Lees-McRae
Friday, Mar 27 at North Greenville
Saturday, Mar 28 at Limestone
Tuesday, Apr 7 at Barton
Note: Article updated to reflect schedule including BYU.