Trojans preparing for CVAC tournaments

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on April 16, 2007 2:31 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Two Mount Olive College teams have earned No. 1 seeds for Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference tournament play, which takes place this week.

The Trojan baseball team, ranked No. 15 nationally, clinched the regular-season CVAC championship more than a week ago. They open defense of their tournament title Thursday at 4 p.m. against either eighth-seeded Limestone (S.C.) University or ninth-seeded St. Andrews.

Mount Olive secured at least a share of the CVAC regular-season crown Saturday and grabbed the top seed after Anderson (S.C.) University seized third place in the CVAC softball standings with a doubleheader sweep of Barton. Even if the Trojans (36-15 overall) finish tied with Coker for the top spot, they own the tiebreaker by virtue of a better head-to-head record with Anderson.

Coach Jaime Kylis-Higginbotham's team opens play Friday at 1 p.m. against an undetermined opponent. Weekend rainouts extended conference play into this week.

In tennis, the Mount Olive men's team is seeded fourth after a season-ending loss to defending CVAC champion Anderson. The Trojans (11-13) took the No. 5 and oppose either Coker or Lees-McRae, which play each other today.

On the women's side, the Trojans (11-14) are seeded seventh in the eight-team bracket. They face No. 2 seed Limestone.

The MOC men's and women's golf teams begin tournament play next Sunday.

Men's volleyball

BANNER ELK -- Mount Olive went the distance in both of its matches at the Lees-McRae College Men's Volleyball Tournament, but suffered 3-2 losses to New Jersey Institute of Technology and in-state rival Lees-McRae.

Despite the losses, the Trojans concluded the year with a school-record 17-7 mark in three seasons of varsity play.

Pedro Penate led four players in double figures with 18 kills in the loss against EIVA "Hay Division" leader NJIT. Cesar Trigo de Serrano tallied 16 kills, Camilo Guerci added 13 kills and Jose Lanier chipped in with 12 kills.

Zach Wilson recorded 54 assists and a team-high five aces. Penate added three aces.

Defensively, Trigo de Serrano recorded six blocks, while Mike Carroll added five blocks. Kris Suarez recorded 17 digs.

Penate matched a season-high 21 kills in the five-set battle with Lees-McRae. Lanier added a career-high 20 kills, while Trigo de Serrano tallied 17 kills and Guerci finished with 10 kills.

Wilson recorded 60 assists, marking the second time this season he reached the 60-assist mark. Wilson matched his own school record with 68 assists last month against Eastern Mennonite. Wilson and Penate led the Trojans with 10 digs apiece, and Penate added a team-high three service aces.

Lanier recorded four blocks for the Trojans.

After competing as a club sport in 2004, Mount Olive men's volleyball moved to varsity status in 2005. The Trojans now have a three-year record of 27-32.

Tennis

MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive prevailed in three singles matches and earned one doubles point in a season-ending, 5-4 loss against CVAC rival Anderson on the John Neal Walker courts.

Former Eastern Wayne standout Jennifer Moats posted a straight-set win at No. 4 singles and combined with Emily Escolas for a victory at No. 3 doubles. Teammates Carol Aro, Lauren Harris and Milena Goncalves also won their respective singles matches.

The Trojans finished 11-14 overall, including a 4-6 CVAC ledger.

Anderson's men earned two of three doubles points and picked up four singles wins in a 6-3 triumph over Mount Olive.

Guillherme Serna and Vitor Lage, seeded No. 1 and 2 respectively, pulled out singles victories for the host Trojans. Lage needed three sets to turn back Anderson's Stephan Fehske 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

The duo combined for a victory at No. 1 doubles.

Mount Olive ended up 11-13 overall and 7-3 in CVAC play.

Women

Anderson (S.C.) 5

Mount Olive 4

Singles -- No. 1 Carol Aro (MOC) def. Tamra Lawler 6-1, 6-3; No. 2 Anne Redfern (AU) d. Monica Barone 6-0, 6-4; No. 3 Jessica McDonald (AU) def. Kristen Jones 6-1, 6-2; No. 4 Jennifer Moats (MOC) def. Lisa Gorman 6-1, 6-3; No. 5 Lauren Harris (MOC) def. Aline Salvany 6-1, 7-5; No. 6 Milena Goncalves (AU) def. Emily Escolas 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles -- No. 1 Lawler-McDonald (AU) def. Barone-Jones 8-1; No. 2 Redfern-Salvany (AU) d. Aro-Harris 8-5; No. 3 Escolas-Moats (MOC) def. Gorman-Goncalves 8-2.

Men

Anderson (S.C.) 6

Mount Olive 3

Singles -- No. 1 Guillherme Serra (MOC) def. Jose Augusto Gaspar 6-3, 6-0; No. 2 Vitor Lage (MOC) d. Stephan Fehske 6-3, 5-7, 6-3; No. 3 Renato Assuncao (AU) def. Daniel Mosteanu 6-2, 6-0; No. 4 Marc Pibernat (AU) def. Frederico Barros 6-1, 6-1; No. 5 Carlos Sanches (AU) def. Indradeep Mitra 7-6, 6-1; No. 6 Srikrishna Ramanathan (AU) def. Bevan Hewett 6-4, 6-0.

Doubles -- No. 1 Serra-Lage (MOC) def. Assuncao-Gaspar 8-5; No. 2 Fehske-Ramanathan (AU) def. Mosteanu-Barros 8-4; No. 3 Sanches-Pibernat (AU) def. Mitra-Hewett 8-4.