Box Score by Benny Benton
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Junior transfer Mariana Kedzia produced a career-high 24 kills, including two in the match's final three points, to lead Barton College past rival University of Mount Olive in a five-set thriller Tuesday night at Kornegay Arena, 19-25, 25-21, 25-11, 20-25, 15-13.
The Camarillo, Calif., resident also added 18 digs, her high as a member of the Lady Bulldogs.
Junior Kaitlyn Micol produced a double-double for the second straight match with 12 kills and 13 digs, and freshman setter Angelica Acevedo added a season-high 16 digs as part of a double-double that also included 47 assists.
With the win, Barton (14-10, 9-5) moved back into a tie with King University for first place in Conference Carolinas' North Division. Those two teams will meet on Friday in Bristol, Tenn. Mount Olive fell to 4-20 overall and 3-11 in league play.
Barton held an early 3-0 lead in the decisive fifth set and extended the margin to 8-4 on a block by Kedzia and Alexandra Cullens before the Trojans stormed back in front behind the play of senior Danielle Plante, who had five of her 18 kills in the final frame.
Plante's final kill of the night, which matched a career-high, gave UMO a 12-11 lead, and a Barton attack error put the Trojans within two points of a win at 13-11. However, an attack error by Mount Olive gave the Lady Bulldogs possession and a one-point deficit, and a kill by Kedzia tied the match at 13-all.
After a UMO timeout, Barton again turned to Kedzia, who delivered another kill to put BC on match point at 14-13. A block by Micol and Courtney Wiseman on the ensuing point sealed the close win for the Lady Bulldogs.
Despite eight kills in the first set from Kedzia, Mount Olive had taken the opening set after running off four straight points starting at 15-all. Plante had six kills in the set without an error, and Barton hurt its own cause with nine attack errors in the frame.
The Lady Bulldogs bounced back in the second set, turning a close 5-4 lead to a 10-5 advantage, helped by a block and kill from Micol. Kedzia had five more kills in the set, pushing her well into double-digits at 13 after just two sets.
Barton dominated the third frame after hitting .520 in the set (14 kills, 1 error in 25 attempts), the best single-set percentage of the season. However, Mount Olive responded with its strongest set of the night in the fourth, hitting .333 while getting six kills from Alysha Burnett. Plante added four kills in the frame, including two as UMO turned an 18-16 deficit into a 22-19 lead en route to forcing the fifth set.
Burnett collected a career-high 27 digs in a losing cause for Mount Olive. Freshman Hayley Marshburn produced 20 digs for Barton, the second straight match in which she has reached that plateau.
Barton will play King at 7 p.m. on Friday.
