PEMBROKE — Mount Olive struck first in the 16th minute, but two UNC Pembroke goals within two minutes led to a key Conference Carolinas intra-division 2-1 victory for the Braves Saturday afternoon at LREMC Stadium.

UNCP gaffer Lars Andersson picked up his 350th career victory.

Shakira Kafero Roberts found the equalizer in the 37th minute, while Maya McDonald made her first UNCP goal a game-winner in the 39th minute. Mercy Bell tallied two assists, while McDonald was also credited with an assist on Kafero Roberts’ goal.

The Braves (2-2-1, 2-0-1 CC) improved to 13-4-2 in the all-time series with the Trojans (2-1-1, 1-1-0 CC).

UMO’s Olivia Womack found Tianna Hill in the 16th minute, and Hill turned and fired a strike to the back of the net to put the Trojans up 1-0.

Bell headed a failed UMO clearance back into the box to the head of McDonald, who headed it onto the foot of Kafero Roberts, who sent a one-touch volley past the diving UMO goalkeeper from the top of the six-yard box to tie the match at 1-1 in the 37th minute.

Two minutes later, Bell’s centering pass found the right foot of McDonald, who got just enough on a one-touch finish to find the back of net and give the Braves the game-winner.

Kafero Roberts had game and career highs in shots with nine and shots and goal with six. McDonald picked up her first UNCP goal and assist.

Anna Bass tallied six saves, tying her career-high in saves for the third time this season.

UNCP tallied 14 shots on goal, while holding Mount Olive to 13 total shots in the match.

UNCP will step outside Conference Carolinas play Wednesday as the Braves host Limestone for Global Engagement Night presented by Fly Fayetteville. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at LREMC Stadium.

UNCP volleyball survives Mars Hill, falls to Lenoir-Rhyne in tri-match

The UNC Pembroke volleyball team hit .210 from the net and recorded eight blocks on the way to defeating Mars Hill 3-2 (26-24, 23-25, 24-26, 25-21, 15-7) on Saturday in a tri-match inside of the Shuford Center. The Braves tallied eight service aces but fell 2-3 (25-22, 25-27, 25-15, 20-25, 7-15) to Lenoir-Rhyne in the nightcap.

Saturday’s victory against Mars Hill (4-5) for the Braves (3-7) snapped a three-game skid and marked the first win against the Lions in the last four contests. UNCP falls to 3-9 all-time against Lenoir-Rhyne (12-0) and are 0-4 when playing in Hickory.

In the opener against the Lions, UNC Pembroke hit .271 from the net in the first set and took a 10-7 lead following a bad set from Mars Hill. The Lions rattled off four consecutive points to lead 12-10, but the Braves answered with a run of their own to take a 19-15 advantage with a kill from Abby Peduzzi. Mars Hill hit a match-best .298 from the net and tied the score at 23 apiece, but UNCP won two of the final three points of the set to win 26-24.

The Lions jumped out to a quick 6-2 second-set advantage, but four straight UNC Pembroke points evened the score at 6-6. MHU used a 5-1 run to take a 19-13 lead, but a 9-2 run for the Braves gave UNC Pembroke a slight 22-21 lead. The Lions closed out the set at 25-23 after winning four out of the final five points.

Mars Hill once again use a quick start in the third set to take a 7-3 lead with an ill-timed UNCP service error. UNC Pembroke put together an 11-3 run to lead 20-14 with a kill from Peduzzi, but the Lions would answer with a five-point surge to tie the score at 22. The Black & Gold stopped the Mars Hill with two points to take a 24-22 advantage, but MHU won the final four points of the set to claim a 26-24 win and take a 2-1 match lead.

UNC Pembroke used a kill from Savannah Whaley to cap off a 6-1 run and give the Braves a 13-8 lead in the fourth set. UNCP would eventually take a commanding 20-14 lead with a Ruby Countryman kill, but the Lions rallied four straight points to cut their deficit back to 22-19. UNCP hit .244 from the net and outscored the Lions 3-2 in the final points of the set to win 25-21.

An ill-timed attack error from Mars Hill gave UNCP a 9-3 lead in the decisive fifth set. The Lions used a kill from Katilyn Grant work their deficit back to 12-7, but the Braves used a trio of kills from Savannah Whaley to close out the match.

Peduzzi had 22 kills and 21 digs for UNCP, Countryman had 17 kills, McKenna Hayes had 17 kills and five blocks, Tyler Patterson had 68 assists and two blocks, Savannah Whaley had 24 digs, Brette Doile had 18 digs and Precious Daley had three blocks.

In the nightcap against undefeated Lenoir-Rhyne, the Bears scored six of the first eight points of the match, but UNC Pembroke took a 15-11 lead with a kill from Peduzzi. The Braves pushed their lead out to 19-15 with a bad set from the Bears, but LR put together a 4-0 scoring surge to tie the score at 19. UNCP hit .218 from the net and closed out the set on a 6-3 run to win 25-22.

The Bears took a 15-11 second-set lead with a kill from Kayli Cleaver, but UNC Pembroke would chip away at its deficit, 17-15, with a block from Peduzzi and Hayes. A UNCP attack error gave the hosts a 21-18 lead but three straight points for the Braves locked the score at 21 apiece. UNCP saved a set point with an Abby Peduzzi kill, but LR won the final two points of the set and evened the match with a 27-25 set win.

UNCP ran the score out to 8-3 in the third set capped off with a kill from Peduzzi. The Braves hit a match-high .571 from the net and would take a hefty 23-11 lead following a kill from Savannah Whaley. Lenoir-Rhyne stopped the UNC Pembroke run with a pair of points, but a kill from Countryman and Hayes secured the set for the Braves at 25-15, giving UNCP a 2-1 match lead.

The hosts scored the first five points of the fourth set and would end up taking a 16-8 lead following a UNCP attack error. The Braves scored the next eight points to tie the score at 17, but the Bears finished the set on a 8-3 scoring surge to win 25-20 and force a deciding set.

Lenoir-Rhyne used a kill from Kathy Peter to lead 9-2 in the final set, but Ruby Countryman ended the run with a kill to cut the UNCP deficit back to 9-3. The hosts pushed their lead out to 14-5 with a kill from Jenna Vogen to stay in control of the set and won 15-7 to clinch the match.

Peduzzi had 19 kills, four assists, 18 digs and three aces for UNCP, Daley had 19 kills, Countryman had 12 kills, Patterson had 57 assists, Doile had 24 digs with six assists, Whaley had 20 digs and Hayes had two blocks.

The Braves will return to action on Tuesday at home for the first time this season when they welcome No. 22 Augusta to town for Black Out/Greek Night. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Admission is free.

Patterson named CC Specialist of the Week

A dominating performance last week paved the way for Tyler Patterson who was named Conference Carolinas Specialist of the Week, league officials announced Monday afternoon.

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Patterson recorded a career-high 68 assists at Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday. The sophomore’s week was also highlighted by a pair of double-double performances against Mars Hill and Lenoir-Rhyne. Patterson finished the week with eight kills, 146 assists, 28 digs, and two block assists over three games last week.

Patterson has played in 36 sets this season and accumulated 289 assists and 78 digs on the season through the first 10 games.