The Belmont Abbey women's volleyball team swept the Queens Royals, 3-0 on the road in the Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship match to earn the first Conference Championship in the program's history. Set scores were 25-23, 27-25 and 25-23. The Abbey improves to 26-4 as it advances to the first NCAA Tournament in school history. The NCAA Tournament begins November 29. The Crusaders will learn of its opponent and destination Sunday night at 10:00 when the selection show airs on ncaa.com. Queens, which defeated the Abbey twice in the regular season, both by 3-2 scores, ends its season with a mark of 22-12.

The Crusaders hit .195 as Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year Hannah Schellenberg led the way with 11 kills and a match-high 17 digs. She was the only Crusader to reach double figures in kills. Angela Jubb added nine kills and Lydia Schellenberg posted eight and 14 digs. Senior Setter Kay Schellenberg, the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, who was also named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player, handed out 35 assists and posted 11 digs to go along with a pair of blocks.

The Crusaders trailed 21-19 in the third set but rallied to knot the score at 22 on a Queens attack error. After a Queens kill gave it a 23-22 lead, the Royals committed a costly service error to tie the match at 23. Another Royals miscue set up championship point, and a Lydia Schellenberg service ace ignited a celebration on the floor, which was soon joined by the many red clad Abbey fans who made the trip.

Along with Kay Schellenberg, Jubb and Hannah Schellenberg were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Queens hit .171 as Anna Gibbs led the Royals with 11 kills.

Belmont Abbey had never advanced past the quarterfinal stage prior to this year, which has added to the record-breaking year for the program. The team has posted school records in overall wins (26), conference wins (14) winning streak (9), and all-conference honorees (5). In addition, head coach Mary DeJute was the first coach in program history to be named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year. Kay Schellenberg was the second player in school history to be named Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, and younger sister Hannah Schellenberg was the second player in school history to earn Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year honors.